MUMBAI: Even as questions linger over whether Shubman Gill is the right choice as India’s new Test captain, leg spin great Anil Kumble has thrown his weight behind the 25-year-old, saying he is “capable” of handling the job — though he did note that captaining a franchise like Gujarat Titans is “slightly different” from leading the Indian team.
On Saturday, India’s selection committee appointed Gill as captain for the upcoming fiveTest series in England in June-July.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“I think captaincy for India is slightly different from captaining a franchise or any state side; it comes with its own responsibilities and pressures. But I’m sure Shubman will figure it out, and I think he is capable. They (India’s young team) are all capable — you’ve seen that with the kind of cricket they play and the brand of cricket they represent,”Who's that IPL player?Kumble said on Monday during a fireside chat on the Australia Summer of Cricket 2025-26, organised by JioStar, Cricket Australia, and the Australian Government.
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Former Australian captain Steve Waugh, ex-Aussie opener Matthew Hayden, and ex-India opener Robin Uthappa were also in attendance. Kumble added that, as a cricket fan, it would feel unusual not to see the names of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin, whom he referred to as the “three pillars of Indian cricket”— when India takes the field for the first Test at Leeds on June 20.“Transition is bound to happen, and with three pillars of Indian cricket not available, it’s going to be different, for us as fans too—when the Indian team takes the field in the first Test and those three names aren’t there.
That’s something I’m sure the dressing room will get used to,” Kumble said.
Shubman Gill story: From a remote village near the border to India’s Test captain
India will tour Australia later this year for a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and five T20Is, beginning with the first ODI on October 19.Kumble acknowledged that it won’t be “easy” for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to continue playing only ODIs as they are getting increasingly sparse.
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