Gautam Gambhir Reveals Biggest Test for Shubman Gill as Team India Captain 

Gautam Gambhir shared that he told Shubman Gill that the Lord's Test victory would stand as the new Indian red-ball captain's biggest achievement.

Gautam Gambhir Reveals Biggest Test for Shubman Gill as Team India Captain 

Gautam Gambhir lauded Shubman Gill as India's Test captain. (via NDTV Sports)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir opened up about the challenges that Shubman Gill has faced since taking over as Test captain. Gambhir suggested that he would continue taking the hit for the young captain, while also stating that Gill has passed the toughest test in Indian cricket.

Shubman Gill‘s appointment as India’s new Test captain invited a lot of public scrutiny, with fans and critics doubting the 26-year-old’s abilities before his first major assignment, the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The young captain however, silenced critics during the five Test matches against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw, while he also finished as the highest run-getter with 754 runs at an average of 75.40.

Since then, Gill has experienced a major career turnaround, leading to his appointment as the new ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. Gill’s success, both as a leader and a batsman, is often credited to head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir recently spoke about his first conversation with Gill, right after he was named Test captain at a time when the Indian team’s has lost successive Test series to New Zealand and Australia.

Gambhir revealed that he told Gill that he had been thrown into a deep sea, and presented Gill with two potential outcomes, fail or emerge as a world-class skipper. The Team India head coach stated that met these high expectations during the India-England series.

He praised Gill for leading a relatively inexperienced Indian side with calm and composure over the challenging two-month period, and lauded him for overcoming ‘toughest Test’ of his career. He said on an interview on Star Sports:

I don’t think he [Shubman Gill] will face a tougher test in his career. Regardless of whether he captains for 10 years, 15 years, that was a challenging two-month period… He led the team with a smile through 25 days of intense cricket.

Furthermore, the 44-year-old hoped for things to become easier for Gill, who he noted has faced a lot of unfair criticism for his lower Test batting average and occasional struggles. Notably, Gambhir also exclaimed that he would take continue to take the criticism upon himself and stand by the young Indian skipper, as long as he remains transparent and honest with all his players in the dressing room.

I have always told him [Gill] one thing, I will always be there to back him and protect him. My job is to take the pressure off him, I am ready to take all the criticism for him till the time he is doing all the right things for the team.

Currently, Gill is leading the Indian red-ball team for the seventh time as the Men in Blue host the visiting West Indies side in the second Test of a two-match series in Delhi. India already secured a comfortable win in the first Test by an innings and 140 runs.

Gautam Gambhir Pinpoints Toughest Challenge of Team India Coaching Stint

2011 WC-winning icon Gautam Gambhir has enjoyed a successful stint as India’s head coach, having won the 2025 Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup in his first year. However, the 44-year-old opened up about what he considers the toughest challenge he has faced so far in his coaching career.

Gautam Gambhir toughest challenge
Gautam Gambhir talked about the toughest challenge of his Team India coaching stint. (via India Today)

Gambhir noted that the Men in Blues’ 0-3 white-wash defeat to New Zealand in a home Test series last year was the toughest moment. Not only did the Indian Test team lose a series at home for the first time in 12 years, but it also cost the team an opportunity to qualify for the 2025 WTC final. The series defeat to the Kiwis was followed by another 1-3 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Gambhir recently expressed that the New Zealand defeat will remain unforgettable, while terming it as a ‘shock’ for the team. He felt that the loss to the Kiwis emboldened every other team to believe they could beat the Indian Test side. He further emphasized that he must never forget the humiliating defeat and often reminds his players about it, underscoring the importance of learning from past mistakes.

That New Zealand loss was a bit of a shock, it still is very close to my heart. As a coach, I can never forget that, nor should I.

Nonetheless, under Gambhir, the Men in Blue have undergone a transition, with young Shubman Gill taking over leadership roles across all the three formats. Gambhir’s contract is expected to run until the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup.

Read More: