After captaining the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final, Shubman Gill is getting ready to lead India in their one-off Test match against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, starting on Saturday, June 6.
Ahead of the assignment, former BCCI selector Saba Karim said that Shubman enjoys playing Test cricket and can be a great ambassador for the format after Virat Kohli. During his illustrious Test career, Kohli held the format dearly to his heart and always urged youngsters to prioritise it. Karim believes that Shubman can also inspire youngsters to take the format very seriously with his performances.
“He’s able to realize that he can add so much value as a Test batter. For him to compete and perform with that kind of consistency, it clearly shows that Shubman Gill relishes Test cricket. I think he can be a great ambassador after Virat Kohli,” Karim told Star Sports.
“His success in Test cricket will really start redefining India’s Test team” – R Ashwin on Shubman Gill’s crucial role in red-ball cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin, on the other hand, opined that Shubman has improved his technique for red-ball cricket and that his success will play a key role in redefining India’s Test setup.
“He had a great series in England. The moment he was made the captain, he went there, turned it on. Even when England had toured to India, he got a hundred at Dharamsala. High-quality player, has worked on keeping his bat close to the pads. His success in Test cricket will really start redefining India’s Test team,” the legendary spinner said (via the aforementioned source).
Aakash Chopra highlighted Shubman’s success as a batter during India’s tour of England where the 26-year-old finished as the highest run-getter. The former India opener backed Shubman to dominate in the format.
“He is no longer an opener. He has started batting in the middle order, and that just coincided with him taking over the reins of India’s Test team. He had a phenomenal tour to England, scored a lot of runs. I am just hoping that he gets back to scoring runs in Test cricket. Of course, this is just a solitary game. Just own the format completely because India’s batting, yes, No. 3 is still a question mark,” the cricketer-turned-commentator stated.
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