Former India captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble said India's newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill is capable of leading the team but warned that captaining the Indian cricket team is different from leading a franchise in T20 cricket.

Gill, who replaced former Test captain Rohit Sharma, will make his Test captaincy debut against England during a five-match Test series starting June 20 in Leeds. Rishabh Pant has been named as his deputy.

The 25-year-old will find himself in a challenging situation since India will be playing the series without three senior players: Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. While Rohit announced his retirement from Test and T20I cricket, Kohli bid farewell to Test cricket earlier this month. Ashwin quit international cricket in December 2024.

“There are all capable, you have seen that with the kind of cricket that they play and the brand of cricket that they play,” Kumble said during a chat featuring Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden, and Robin Uthappa at an Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26 event here.

When asked about his advice to the young Indian side, Kumble said, “Captaincy for India is slightly different to captaining a franchise or any state side; it comes with its own responsibilities and the pressure. But I’m sure Shubman will figure it out and I think he is capable,” the former India captain added.

Kumble said while it will be difficult to adjust to the fact that Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin are not in the Test team, it will give Gill an opportunity to create his own legacy.

“Transition is bound to happen and with three pillars of Indian cricket, for a long period of time, not being available. It’s got to be different for us too, as fans too, when the Indian cricket team takes the ground in the first Test, not to see three names there,” he said.

“(It) is going to be different so that’s something that I’m sure the dressing room will get used to over a period of time.”

“But it’s the start of a young team and it’s a new cycle of WTC, which I’m sure this current team would look to win and then get into that final and hopefully hold the trophy one day, so that’s something that I’m sure Shubman will try and create that kind of a legacy,” he added.

Kumble also said that it would not be easy for Kohli and Rohit, who will continue playing ODI cricket, as they need to maintain fitness levels. However, he said the two greats must be celebrated for the remainder of their careers.

India are set to play three ODIs and five T20Is in Australia in October this year. “It is not easy to just do what they need to in terms of preparing for an ODI, which is six months down the line. It’s going to be a challenge, no matter who you are and how well you have had your career over the years,” Kumble said.

“But they are champion players, so they know how to sort of manoeuvre that, and it’s important to celebrate champion players as long as they play. You go into threadbare of each performance as to how they should have played or how they could have played.”

“What is important is to celebrate whatever is out there with the two players. Ideally, they would like to play until the 2027 World Cup, because that’s something that did not happen. We saw that 2023 (World Cup) final with Australia holding the trophy,” he said.