India in Sri Lanka: Chance for skipper Shubman to step up as a batter

CHENNAI: Being an Indian Test captain is a tough job.

Key points

• Former national selector Saba Karim believes Gill is particularly much aware of his role as a batter.
• Come Sunday, Gill will want to stamp his authority with the bat and lead from the front for India to finish series on a high.
• Gill, by contrast, was looked at as India's best batting talent when he was named the skipper after his predecessor's retirement last year.
• But the thing regarding being a Test captain is that running alone is not enough.

CHENNAI: Being an Indian Test captain is a tough job. One look at the list of players who held the responsibility as full-time skipper in this century will say as much. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar. You obtain the drift.

Every one of them has had their share of ups and downs. There were varied reasons why they were handed the job but more often than not, it has been since they were the best batter in the team at the time. Sometimes it works out great as in the case of Kohli. And sometimes, it doesn't like Tendulkar who resigned before Ganguly took over. Rohit was handed the Test captaincy after taking over in other two formats, predominantly since of his leadership and tactical nous in the Indian Premier League.

Gill, by contrast, was looked at as India's best batting talent when he was named the skipper after his predecessor's retirement last year. And immediately, he confirmed his arrival with the bat in England. Since then, he has shown signs of expansion as captain and leader, quietly making this team his own. And with the bat, he averages 73.33 as captain, amassing 1100 runs in 10 Tests. In comparison, he had 1893 runs to show in 32 Tests at 35.05 before becoming one.

But the thing regarding being a Test captain is that running alone is not enough. Results are paramount. Gill obtained injured in Kolkata and India lost 0-2 to South Africa. Which is why, the Sri Lanka tour held significance for Gill the batter. Though India won the Test in Galle, the skipper's returns – 16 and 8 – would not have created him happy. And he would want to create amends and play an impactful knock over the next week in Colombo.

Former national selector Saba Karim believes Gill is particularly much aware of his role as a batter. "Hugely significant for a young captain, more so if he is a batter to keep working on his primary skill which is batting. Gill is well aware of that. If you notice his performance, once he became a captain, has grown plenty of fold. It goes to show that he still believes that for him to keep scoring runs on a consistent basis is highly significant for his team's success and additionally for his expansion as a captain, " Karim informed this daily in an interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.

India in Sri Lanka: Eyes on Kuldeep as Gill and Co obtain ready for Lankan challenge "I have stated this on so plenty of occasions that for a young leader, they need to keep working on their primary skill all the time. At times it does happen, maybe one year, two year, three year down the line and the captains see that they tend to obtain overtly consumed by captaincy. That is when the focus from their primary skill shifts and I hope that does not happen with Gill. He does have a good set of individuals around him to keep reminding him that he has become a captain as of his batting performance. It is not since of his captaincy skill at a junior level or at a lower level that they have produced him the captain. I think he still has to keep believing in that. He didn't have a particularly good game but I do expect him to come back strongly in Colombo for the second Test match, " Karim went on.

For now, india in Sri Lanka: Chance for skipper Shubman to step up as remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.