India captain Shubman Gill admitted that juggling responsibilities across all three formats remains a work in progress, especially as he negotiates a packed calendar and growing leadership duties. Gill currently leads India in Tests and ODIs and has recently been elevated to vice-captain in T20Is, making him one of the busiest cricketers in the national setup.
Gill has moved from celebrating a successful Test tour of England to facing scrutiny over his white-ball form in a short span of time. He will now play a Test match against South Africa in Kolkata within five days of returning from a white-ball tour of Australia, a turnaround that has become routine for him.
“I am still trying to figure out how to manage it. I think the workload, starting from the Asia Cup, we have been playing kind of back-to-back, travelling to different countries, switching between formats within four-five days,” Gill said.
“So, I am also trying to figure out what gives me the best chance to be able to perform and succeed in all those formats that I am going to play. But the challenge is definitely more mental than physical,” he added.
PUJARA BACKS GILL
Gill’s rapid switches between formats remain a key talking point, and former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes that mental adaptability will be the most significant challenge in his early journey as an all-format player.
“Someone like Shubman, who is still a young player, doesn’t really have a heavy physical workload. But mentally, it can be challenging,” JioStar expert Pujara said while replying to India Today’s query during the Media Day ahead of the first Test.
“He was recently in Australia leading the Indian one-day squad, then he played T20s, and now he suddenly has to shift from white-ball to red-ball cricket, not in Australia, but in India, where the conditions are completely different.
“His biggest challenge will be adjusting to different formats as quickly as possible. In Test cricket, you need temperament, patience and you also need to change your game plan according to the format, and to do that very quickly is always challenging for any top-class player.”
Pujara backed Gill to handle both the captaincy and the demands of constant format transitions, pointing to India’s strong recent Test performances in England and the West Indies.
“But someone like him, who is young, maturing quickly, and already leading the team well, I’m sure will respond positively. The Indian Test team’s recent form will also help him; they did exceptionally well in the West Indies and before that in England.
“Shubman, as captain, will gain confidence from that. And they’re playing South Africa, who recently won the World Test Championship and remain a top side. It will be a competitive series, and I’m sure Shubman is looking forward to the challenge,” he added.
India will face South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata on Friday, with Gill preparing for yet another examination of his adaptability and leadership.
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