Shubman Gill Urged to Adopt MS Dhoni’s Leadership Qualities to Become a Great India Captain: ‘A Whole Bunch of Things…’
Sayuri YukiIndia Test captain Shubman Gill urged to develop crucial ‘captaincy skill’ inspired by MS Dhoni to elevate his leadership.
Shubman Gill’s Captaincy Journey: Learning from Dhoni’s Leadership Style
It’s still early days for Shubman Gill as India’s Test captain. The 25-year-old right-handed batter took over the role from Rohit Sharma following his retirement from the Test format. While Gill has shown promising signs of leadership, he is still finding his footing at the helm. The fiery moments of the Lord’s Test against England revealed a passionate side when Gill lost his cool and snapped at Zak Crawley for deliberately wasting time. The stump mic captured Gill telling Crawley to “grow some f***g bs,” which sparked verbal exchanges from the England camp as well.
As India trails 1-2 in the intense Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Gill has been advised to adopt a key aspect of captaincy exemplified by MS Dhoni: strong man-management skills. Former South Africa opening batter and India coach during the 2011 World Cup, Gary Kirsten, who also worked closely with Gill at Gujarat Titans from 2022-2024, stressed that great leadership requires mastering various elements, especially managing people.
“Captaincy is a whole lot of things you’ve got to put together. He’s a great thinker and player, but man-management is crucial for any leader,” Kirsten said in an interview with Rediff.com.
He added, “Dhoni was an incredible man-manager. If Gill can develop that component of his leadership, he has all the credentials to become a great captain for India.”
Shubman Gill’s failure in Lord’s Test
Shubman Gill made a spectacular start to his captaincy in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by scoring a century—147 runs—in his very first innings as India’s Test captain during the Headingley Test. He then went on to deliver a phenomenal performance in the Edgbaston Test, smashing 269 and 161, which helped India level the five-match series at 1-1 with a massive 430-run aggregate in that match alone.
The two teams will next clash in the Manchester Test, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 23.
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