Shubman Gill on Saturday (May 24) was appointed as the new Test captain of Team India. The number 3 batsman was the front-runner for the top job following Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket and he was officially appointed the captain during a press conference, where the selectors also announced the squad for the England tour.

While it was the selection committee's decision to appoint Shubman as the new captain, a former India head coach also had a big role to play in his appointment. Hindustan Times has reported that Dravid played a significant role in Shubman's appointment as the new Test captain.

As per the report, the selectors spoke to the former India head coach. "The selectors spoke to Dravid as he had seen Gill when he was a teenager and had also coached him at the U19 and the senior team. He had some great things to say about Gill's potential as a leader," a BCCI source told HT.

Shubman caught Dravid's eye early in his career and he played a significant role in India winning the 2018 U-19 World Cup. Shubman was Prithvi Shaw's deputy in the ICC event.

Shubman went on to play for India A and made it to the national team a year after the U-19 World Cup. He became a regular member of Team India during Dravid's stint as the head coach.

PTI recently reported that Dravid asked for Shubman's inclusion in the India A squad for the England tour in 2018. The right-handed batsman always had the legend's backing and his rise isn't a big surprise.

Shubman will be assisted by Rishabh Pant, another player who first caught Dravid's attention early in his career. Rishabh was part of the Dravid-coached India U-19 team which made it to the final of the 2016 World Cup. The India-England series will kick off on June 20.