India captain Shubman Gill has had a trial by fire in his debut series as captain with all three Tests against England lasting five days but more than the physical fatigue, he feels tired mentally.
Prem Panicker and Faisal Shariff discuss the young, largely experimental team picked for the five Test tour of England, and its prospects on the latest episode of the Sports And Pastime podcast.
Hero of India's two global triumphs, 44-year-old Yuvraj had guided young Gill and India's T20 opener Abhishek Sharma during the Covid-19 lockdown when they even stayed at his Chandigarh bungalow.
'Folks - your Test captain, Shubman Gill.'
After India captain Shubman Gill had scored another masterful century at Edgbaston, India fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj blew away England's top order.
Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
'Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point (and) so was Abhishek. (But) Abhishek's performances clearly make it hard to leave him out. Plus, his bowling (left arm spin) is handy.'
'You always have to put the team first rather than your personal desires'
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev on Saturday said the England series will serve as a valuable learning experience for young India skipper Shubman Gill and urged critics to give him some time to grow into the leadership role.
Test captain Shubman Gill also doesn't fit in the Indian T20 line-up, which has a settled top three in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Gaganjeet Bhullar successfully defended his title at the IGPL Invitational Chandigarh, overcoming a four-shot deficit to claim his fourth IGPL victory.
Tilak Varma roared back to form with a magnificent maiden century in the Indian Premier League, helping Mumbai Indians break their four-match losing streak with a 99-run mauling of Gujarat Titans here on Monday.
The 55-year-old Ramprakash, who played 52 Tests between 1991 and 2002, said instead of captaincy affecting Gill's performance, it has made him more focussed.
Shubman Gill's toss woes continued as England opted to bowl in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Thursday.
In a nail-biting encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rajasthan Royals edged out Gujarat Titans by just six runs, posting 210/6 and holding their nerve as GT fell short at 204/8 in 20 overs
Manjrekar acknowledged that although Gill hadn't yet made a significant mark overseas, his composure as a leader was never in doubt.
In a lapse of concentration, Atkinson picked the ball and sent the timber rattling to have Gill run out on 21(35).
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill has put an end to swirling rumours of a rift with Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya following a viral video from the Friday's IPL 2025 Eliminator.
Cooper Connolly was named Player of the Match after an unbeaten 72 on debut powered Punjab Kings to a tense three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 opener.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was "disappointed" on missing a century by a whisker, but amazed by Test captain Shubman Gill's "incredible" effort that powered India to a comfortable position at the end of the opening day of the second Test against England, at Edgbaston, on Wednesday.
With Rohit Sharma stepping away from Test cricket, all eyes are now on who will lead India into a new red-ball era.
Shubman Gill was "extremely proud" of the fight that his team put up after being down and out but rued the absence of one fifty partnership and Rishabh Pant's first innings run-out in their 22-run defeat against England in the third Test at the Lord's.
Gill scored a sensational 269 in the first innings and followed it up with 161 in the second-earning comparisons to Don Bradman from Shastri himself.
Shubman Gill's aggressive behaviour during the Lord's Test came as a surprise to many, including former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
India captain Shubman Gill was on Wednesday named among the three nominees for ICC's Player of the Month award for July along with South Africa's Wiaan Mulder and England skipper Ben Stokes.
Playing his 32nd Test, he showed no signs of nervousness and batted with his signature effortless ease.
No major injury for Rishabh, he should be fine for Manchester Test: Gill
Ashish Nehra says Gujarat Titans will stick to their winning approach in IPL 2026, stressing a mindset of competing and winning ahead of their season opener.
In a video shared by the BCCI on 'X', several Indian players, including skipper Gill, shared what comes to mind when they think of playing in England.
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali sees shades of Virat Kohli in Shubman Gill's aggressive on-field demeanour, but feels the India batter's approach during the Lord's Test may have triggered a stronger response from the hosts.
Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel attributes their IPL loss to Punjab Kings to challenging pitch conditions and effective bowling by the opposition.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2026 after Game 24.
Gill clashed with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, accusing them of deliberately wasting time.
India's two time World Cup-winning hero Yuvraj Singh has said golf could have helped him score "at least 3,000 more runs" in international cricket and advised his "wards" Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma to take up the sport for its calming influence.
Rohit Sharma scored only 61 runs in three innings at an average of 20.33, failing to register a single fifty in the series against New Zealand.
Sai Sudharsan bounced back strongly with a maiden half-century during Day 1 of the fourth Test against England at Manchester on Wednesday.
In a high-scoring contest that went down to the final ball, Rashid returned figures of 3 for 17, turning the game in Titans' favour just when Delhi looked set to chase down the target.
'I think Shubman has done a good job in putting things together and staying calm. You look at him, you always feel that he's not panicking. He is calm.'
Jos Buttler overcame a painful slump in the 2026 T20 World Cup to rediscover his form, achieving his 100th T20 fifty and surpassing 14,000 T20 runs. This article explores his journey back to form and his impact on Gujarat Titans' resurgence.
