The era of Shubman Gill as captain began on a great note in England. Leading a team without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, Gill's side fought their hearts out and eked out a 2-2 draw against England in an intense and dramatic Test series. Following the England series, Shubman Gill has taken over the reins of the ODI team as well, replacing Rohit Sharma. All indications point in one direction: Gill is set to become India cricket's all-format captain in the future.
"I actually loved what he did with that team in the UK against a really good English side. There were certain moments where he was probably a little bit out of character. He did what he had to do to put his stamp on the team and really stand up for them. Little things that he did—like not coming off the ground in Manchester—I just think he made a strong impression. He asserted his authority on the team really quickly. And he led by example with the bat," Ponting said on ICC Review.
"When there was a critical moment, when he had to draw a line in the sand, he did that. That has not always been his way—he's normally pretty calm and has a cool demeanor on the field. But that real fighting, sort of bulldog came out when his team needed him the most. That's what I want to see from any player representing the country."
India's left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh recently drew a stark comparison between the ODI captaincy styles of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, classifying both as "proper" bowler skippers who give freedom to their attack.
"In ODIs, I've played very little, so I can't tell the difference yet. But I'd say both of them were proper bowler captains. They gave you real freedom. Even today, Shubman backed whatever plans we had. He said, 'Bowl freely to your plans and just enjoy the moment.' We knew we didn't have that many runs, but we just wanted to express ourselves. That was his message. And surely he'll have a great time ahead," Arshdeep said.