Shubman Gill's Eden Homecoming: From IPL Debutant to India Captain
When Shubman Gill walks out for the toss at Eden Gardens on Friday morning, he'll be walking into a full-circle moment.
When Shubman Gill walks out for the toss at Eden Gardens on Friday morning, he'll be walking into a full-circle moment. The ground that first witnessed his promise as a teenager in purple and gold will now see him in white - as India's Test captain. "This is one ground where I always feel at home," Gill said on the eve of the first Test against South Africa. "My IPL career started here, and whenever I come to Eden, I feel the same way I do when I'm playing at the PCA Stadium in Punjab. It's that sense of belonging."
Eden Gardens has always had a way of wrapping itself around a story. For Gill, who first burst into the limelight as part of Kolkata Knight Riders, this is more than just another venue - it's where the journey to leadership found its roots.
Now, six years since the last Test was played here - the historic pink-ball match against Bangladesh - Gill returns not as a reserve watching from the sidelines, but as the captain and the face of India's next generation. "We are playing a match here after six years. The last Test was the pink-ball Test, and though I was part of the squad, I wasn't in the XI. To play my first Test here, as captain, is a huge honour," he said.
For the 26-year-old, it's also a reminder of how far he's come - from being one of the youngest IPL debutants at Eden Gardens to leading a national side chasing another Gandhi-Mandela Trophy.Â
Over the years, Eden has celebrated many homecomings - Sourav Ganguly's roar, VVS Laxman's artistry, Rohit Sharma's double hundreds - and this week, it readies itself for another: Shubman Gill's captaincy bow at the venue where it all began.
If form and familiarity align, the crowd at Eden could once again see a young man who knows this turf better than most - not just playing, but leading with the same calm intensity that first made him Kolkata's favourite son.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
KL Rahul