He’s a wonderful leader: Rashid Khan backs Indian skipper Shubman Gill

Dubai: While critics picked apart his captaincy after the first Test defeat in Leeds, those who’ve played under Shubman Gill never doubted him.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, who has shared the Gujarat Titans dressing room with Gill for the past two Indian Premier League seasons, was among the first to come to his defence.

“It was a brilliant game overall — India had five hundreds in that Test and still lost. That’s what Test cricket is about: a couple of sessions can just take the game away from you,” Rashid told Gulf News during a ceremony where he was unveiled as brand ambassador for Dubai-based property firm MH Developers.

“I think he’s a wonderful leader. He has the skills and the mindset to lead Team India successfully in the future.”

Rashid, who cites his early Afghan skipper Asghar Afghan and New Zealand great Kane Williamson as major influences, said being part of the leadership group at Gujarat Titans helped him grow as a captain — and he sees the same potential in Gill.

“It’s still early days for him. Leading India is always a huge responsibility, but scoring a century under that pressure is massive. I’m sure he will enjoy lots of success,” Rashid added.

Gill had big shoes to fill when he took over the captaincy and also the No 4 slot — a position once occupied by legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. But at Edgbaston, he proved he could handle both responsibilities with a majestic 269 in the first innings of the second Test.

His marathon knock laid the foundation for India’s imposing total of 587. By stumps on Day 2, England were struggling at 77-3 — still trailing by 510 runs.

That commanding position was built on the back of early breakthroughs from Akash Deep — playing in place of the rested Jasprit Bumrah — who removed two English batters in consecutive balls to reduce the hosts to 13-2.

Gill, just 25 and in only his second Test as captain, shattered several long-standing Indian records. He overtook Virat Kohli’s 254 against South Africa in 2019 as the highest score by an Indian Test captain, eclipsed Tendulkar’s 241 in Sydney as the best by an Indian batter outside Asia, and went past Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic 221 at The Oval in 1979 — the previous best by an Indian in a Test in England.

The cricketing world took notice. Former openers Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan were among those who saluted Gill’s performance.

Dhawan, posting on X, wrote: “What a knock, @ShubmanGill! A double ton on English soil as captain — not just a milestone, but a strong message. Proud to see you leading with such grace and grit. #INDvsENG.”

Ravindra Jadeja, who shared a 203-run stand for the sixth wicket with Gill, said the young skipper looked completely in control.

“Honestly, he’s looking extremely confident. There’s absolutely no sign in his batting that he’s carrying the burden of captaincy or any added responsibility. He’s handling it all so smoothly,” Jadeja said.

Jadeja, who missed out on a century by 11 runs, called Gill “unlucky” to be dismissed and said it never looked like he would get out.

“Even today, he was unlucky. The ball just went straight into the fielder’s hands. But it never felt like he was going to get out. He played a brilliant knock.”

When asked to assess Gill’s captaincy, Jadeja’s reply was as sharp as it was simple:

“Did you not see how much he has grown? He has scored 269 runs.”