‘Sink or Swim’: Gambhir Reveals Bold Words to Shubman Gill Before Test Captaincy

Gautam Gambhir revealed that before handing Shubman Gill the Test captaincy, he warned the 25-year-old that the challenge would either make him world-class or break him.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir shared insights on his first discussion with Shubman Gill after the latter took charge as Test captain ahead of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Gill, just 25, took India to a 2-2 draw in England, marking an impressive start. Despite being chosen over senior players like Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, Gill managed a young squad through a challenging tournament.

Gambhir praised the composure and maturity Gill displayed under pressure, calling the England series one of the toughest tests any Indian captain has faced early in their career. According to him, this has set a strong tone for India’s 2025–27 World Test Championship campaign.

“I remember the entire conversation. I told him one thing very clearly, that we have thrown you in the deep sea, and there are only two outcomes from here: either you will drown or you will become world-class. For me, the 750-odd [754] runs he scored in England does not matter much. If he had not scored those in that tour, he would have scored it in the next tour, that is his quality,” Gambhir said on JioHotstar.

“What mattered for me was the way a 25-year-old kid, with a young team, handled himself and his captaincy, [and] the pressure over there against a quality England side. Because I don’t think there will be a more difficult test than that in his captaincy career, whether he leads for 10 years, 15 years, or 2 years. I don’t think any captain in India has had such a challenge, over a span of 2 months, considering how intimidating England’s batting was, and how inexperienced our team was,” the coach added.

Gambhir Says Toughest Phase Now Behind Shubman Gill

Gautam Gambhir then opined that Gill had faced his toughest challenge and could now look forward to smoother journeys ahead. All five Tests went to the final day.

“He has passed his most difficult test, and I told him after we won at The Oval, I told him that he just passed his most difficult test in the transition, and from here on, things will be much easier. I hope they get easier for him because he deserves every bit of it. The amount of criticism he has received, the kind of things people have said about him, it has been unfair. You can’t expect a 25-year-old kid to have an average of 50, and score every time everywhere. That will only happen over time. The kind of potential he has, I was never shocked that he scored 750 runs in England,” he said.

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“There were moments where I was under pressure, the support staff was under pressure, and more than us, he [Gill] was under pressure on the field. But, I don’t think so in those 25 days, I saw a single moment where he showed that frustration or the pressure on his face,” Gambhir concluded.

Meanwhile, India declared at 518/5 in 134.2 overs on day two of the ongoing second Test against West Indies in Delhi, with Gill leading from the front. He remained unbeaten on 129 off 196 balls before declaring, with 16 fours and two sixes, surpassing his previous best home Test score of 128. At stumps, West Indies reached 140/4, trailing India by 378 runs.