He struck an imperious 84 off just 46 balls which included six fours and four sixes -- his highest T20 score.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Vice-captain Rishabh Pant said India's batters should have adapted to the challenge of playing on a tricky pitch at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Jaiswal Blazes, Gill Leads: India's Young Guns Dominate Opening Day
With the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still raw, preparing rank turners may invite risk.
'He is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.'
Speculations and debates have sparked over social media since last week, after chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the management's decision to hand over the ODI captaincy from Rohit to Shubman Gill.
Arshdeep Singh, who took three wickets for 35 runs in the third T20I against Australia, in Hobart on Sunday, said he's been working on his process, trusting his skills, and executing the plans he practised.
Showing an insatiable hunger to learn and succeed, Shubman Gill turned to senior players and former greats for insights, embodying the ethos of a student of the game.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that India's new T20 approach isn't just about fearless batting, it's about all-round aggression.
Gambhir Leads Chorus as Cricket Fraternity Hails India's Triumph
Ravichandran Ashwin has raised a big question mark over Sanju Samson's place in India's Asia Cup 2025 playing XI, warning that the wicketkeeper-batter's spot could be under serious threat
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
'...If Shubman Gill had that kind of a fiery side to him, we would have seen it a little earlier. You don't have to show it when you're the captain.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Gill, who tested positive for dengue upon his arrival in Chennai last week has been down for the past week and will also miss India's second game against Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Head coach Gambhir, captain Gill, men's squad send best wishes to Harmanpreet-led side for Women's World Cup final
Shubman Gill shared a picture with ace Ttennis star Rohan Bopanna on Saturday.
Team India got down to business with a high-energy practice session in Dubai on Wednesday.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Sidhu hit back at an X handle for falsely attributing quotes to him.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that Team India does not need to prepare turning wickets as they can bowl out their opponents with their pace line-up and having another spin-friendly wicket for the second Test against South Africa will be a "big test of their ability".
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
Rohit spent nearly a week at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru last month
Following Gill's early dismissal, some netizens trolled him for his performance in the final.
He batted with maturity, picking his shots and rotating the strike effectively. He was also not afraid to take his time when the boundaries dried up, showing that he understands the nuances of the game.
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
Virat Kohli, former Test captain, lauded the team's resilience
'Never knew golf could be this much fun.'
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
'How Rohit has taken the decision to change captain is between him and selection committee', Agarkar added.
Gill's struggle against spin has been glaring and former India cricketer-turned commentator Akash Chopra has suggested a bold change to overcome his recent slump: bat deep and not be overly aggressive with his approach.
India's newly-appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday said senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain a part of the team's 2027 World Cup plans as their skill levels and voluminous experience cannot be ignored.
'He has to focus on his performance and helping the team win.'
Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India's ODI captain as the "biggest honour", expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.