All eyes are on June 20 as India prepares to take on England in a high-stakes Test match series — and leading Team India this time will be none other than Shubman Gill. With regular skipper Rohit Sharma unavailable, the young Indian opener steps into the leadership spotlight. But the big question remains: Is Gill ready to handle the pressure against a formidable English side?
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting doesn’t think it’ll be easy. In a straightforward and honest assessment, Ponting praised Gill’s white-ball form but raised concerns about his readiness for red-ball captaincy.
“His white-ball form has been incredibly good,” Ponting said. “But he needs to work on his Test batting. And when you’re a new captain, it’s never easy — especially when you also need to focus on improving your own game. It won’t be easy for him.”
Ponting shared a personal anecdote, recalling how he once named Gill captain for a Sydney Test match when Rohit was unavailable and Jasprit Bumrah was struggling with injury clouds. Though Ponting admitted he doesn’t know Gill very well — “maybe I’ve talked to him six, eight, ten times over the past couple of years, mostly about batting and leadership” — he also acknowledged the young batter’s recent success.
“He’s done a fantastic job with GT (Gujarat Titans in the IPL). There’s no doubt about that.”
With England expected to field a strong and aggressive squad, the challenge for Gill will be more than just tactical. He’ll need to balance personal form, leadership pressure, and high expectations from millions of fans — all while facing one of the most aggressive Test sides in the world.
Whether he thrives or stumbles under pressure remains to be seen — but one thing’s for sure: the cricket world will be watching.
England squad
Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes