Image Source: X
[Saba Sports News] Indian cricket has seen significant changes in the past month. The men’s team regained T20 World Cup glory after a 17-year gap, followed by a landmark coaching appointment.
The Sri Lanka tour marks a new era under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching and a fresh start in leadership.
While Hardik Pandya was expected to succeed Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav emerged as the surprise T20I captain, with Shubman Gill named vice-captain for both white-ball formats.
Gill’s appointment follows his stint as stand-in captain during India’s Zimbabwe tour, where he led a largely fringe squad in T20Is.
Despite changes in coaching staff, Gill emphasized that the basics remain unchanged.
“Communication has been the same as before,” said Gill at a press conference before the T20I series. “We’re the World Champions and need to continue our current approach. Hopefully, we’ll achieve more success with the new coach and support staff.”
Gill and Gambhir share an IPL connection through KKR, though they never played together at the franchise. Gambhir left KKR before the 2018 season, while Gill joined that year and stayed until 2021 before moving to Gujarat Titans. Gambhir returned to KKR in 2024, leading the franchise to a championship.
Gill spoke positively about Gambhir: “We’ve only had two net sessions together. His intent and communication are clear. He knows what he wants from each player.”
He also praised assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who has been KKR’s batting coach for a long time: “Nayar is very hardworking and dedicated, staying on the ground until players are satisfied with their progress.”
The past 12-18 months have been a roller-coaster for Gill in T20Is. He topped the run charts in the 2023 IPL season with 890 runs, but his T20I performances were inconsistent. Gill chose to see his World Cup omission as a learning experience and aims to improve in the upcoming 30-40 games.
“Regarding World Cup selection, my T20I performances weren’t as good as I expected. The focus now is to perform better,” he said.
Gill’s captaincy in the Zimbabwe series was praised, though his batting drew mixed reactions due to a lower strike rate compared to others. Now, with vice-captaincy across white-ball formats, expectations are higher for the right-hander.
“As a batsman, it doesn’t change much. I need to perform and win matches. But as a vice-captain, I have to make more decisions on the field,” Gill explained.
Gill’s opening partner for T20Is will be Yashasvi Jaiswal, with whom he shares a strong record. In eight games, they’ve amassed two century stands and a fifty partnership, making them one of India’s most successful opening pairs in T20Is. Gill attributes their success to their chemistry.
“We enjoy batting together and complement each other well. Being a rightie-leftie pair helps. We’ve had many good partnerships, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Gill.