Ravi Shastri advises Gill to “take your time” before making his Test captaincy debut
Former head coach Ravi Shastri has given the young captain some wise words of counsel as India gets ready to start a new chapter in Test cricket under Shubman Gill‘s direction.
Shastri advised Gill to maintain his composure and patience as he assumes one of the most difficult positions in international cricket: captaining India in a five-match Test series in England, in an interview with The ICC Review.
Shastri gave the 25-year-old advice, saying, “I think, take your time.”
“It will not be simple. He has been invited to take on the challenging task of leading India on a tour to England.
Gill is the tasked with heading a very young Indian team after veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently announced their retirement from the longest format. In addition to being India’s first assignment in the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the next series starts on June 20 at Headingley.
Shastri is still hopeful despite Gill’s comparatively low red-ball cricket record of 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Test matches. He thinks the tour will be a crucial stage in Gill’s development as a leader.
Shastri stated, “I think he will learn from this exposure, but it’s never easy.”
Shastri also reflected on Gill’s recent leadership stint in the IPL 2025, where the youngster captained Gujarat Titans. The former India coach found Gill’s cool and collected manner particularly noteworthy, even though the squad lost in the Eliminator.
“I observed him playing for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, and he appeared to be quite cool and collected. His demeanor is good.
With a half-century in India’s most recent intra-squad encounter in Beckenham, Gill—who has also been playing excellent white-ball cricket this year—showed that he was up to the task. However, the Test series in England offers a distinct kind of analysis, one that has always put even India’s most seasoned players’ skill and temperament to the test.
India has the chance to end their 17-year Test losing streak in England during this tour; their most recent victory occurred in 2007 while Rahul Dravid was captain.
In closing, Shastri emphasized the journey’s wider significance for Gill. “I believe there is a learning curve for Shubman Gill, but he has matured as a person and has some young players around him.”