‘Won’t be surprised if he becomes T20I skipper too’ – Former England cricketer after Shubman Gill’s appointment as ODI captain

‘Won’t be surprised if he becomes T20I skipper too’ – Monty Panesar after Shubman Gill’s appointment as ODI captain (Source: BCCI/X)

Former English cricketer Monty Panesar has opined that he will not be surprised if Shubman Gill is made India’s all-format skipper soon. Gill is currently the Test and ODI skipper while Suryakumar Yadav is the 20-over side’s captain at present.

Panesar feels that making Gill the ODI skipper within Rohit Sharma’s presence is a great move by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The erstwhile left-arm spinner labelled Gill as a ‘natural leader’.

“Well, I think it is a great decision because I think he has done really well. Making him captain while Rohit Sharma is there, he can help him and guide him during the series (vs Australia). It is a really good move. We have seen he is a natural leader that we have seen in England,” stated Panesar, as quoted by India Today.

Panesar predicted that the best of Gill will be displayed in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia.

“When you give him responsibility, you see the best of Shubman Gill. I think we will see the best of him in the ODI series. I wouldn’t be surprised that they give him the T20I captaincy because I think he is a type of player who does well when you give him responsibility,” he added.

For the unversed, the squad announcement for the white-ball series against Australia was accompanied by the announcement of Gill as the new ODI skipper. Rohit, who had had a win percentage of 75% while leading the 50-over setup, was displaced from the position.

India are coming off a successful Asia Cup 2025. Gill was the vice-captain for the T20I side. Before the continental tournament, Gill had quite superbly led the red-ball side to a 2-2 draw against England in what was a hard-fought tour. He also ended up as the Player of the Series with a colossal 754 runs in 10 innings.

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