India kick off their five-match Test series against England with the first Test at Leeds on Friday, but before that, all eyes are on Shubman Gill, who will lead India for the first time as the captain. His assignment will be anything but challenging in the English conditions, and the 24-year-old’s leadership acumen is drawing praise from cricketing greats, even as comparisons to Virat Kohli begin to surface.

A day before the first match of India’s tour of England, former India coach Gary Kirsten spoke to JioHotstar about Shubman Gill and his role as captain in the Test series against England:

“I think Shubman is going to be a great leader. He’s a smart cricketer—he’s got a good brain for the game and understands his game. He’s very talented and a nice human being, which I think is really important. When you come into these leadership positions, you're going to be put under pressure, and your leadership will be tested."

"For any young leader, your ability to learn how to lead, improve, and grow is constantly under scrutiny. But I believe he has all the raw materials to become a really good leader. The one thing I really like about Shubman is that he walks the talk. He’s very organized, very diligent with his training and preparation, and that sets a great example for other players. I think he’s primed to take on the international stage by storm," he added.

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden also shared his thoughts on the new Indian captain and said:

“Shubman has huge shoes to fill. He’ll have to find his footing in Test match cricket. There’s a very small sample size when it comes to his experience here in England. But it takes time to build a legacy and become a legend. Virat Kohli, for instance, is India’s most successful Test captain in terms of win percentage, so it’s not fair to compare.

"Shubman is a very good player, and he’s got all the attributes needed to succeed in English conditions. We’ve already had a glimpse of his leadership across other teams, and there’s no doubt he has the potential to grow into the role.”

Gill's first challenge will be an acid test, and he should be given adequate time and support to succeed. But expectations will be sky high even as he leads India through a tough transition phase.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar has also stated that being an Indian skipper is a high-pressure job and opinions will fly thick and fast. But he expects Gill to have a tunnel vision.

"I feel there are going to be a lot of opinions that 'he should do this and he should do that'. And all those kind of things will come into play. But what he should be focused on is, what is the team's plan. What was the discussion in the dressing room. And is it going according to that?

"And all the decisions that are being made, are being made in the interest of the team or not, is what he should be thinking of...not the outside world where someone feels that he is being too attacking or he is being too defensive and all that. Those are opinions and people will give opinions.

"Eventually, what happens in the dressing room and what he is doing in the interest of the team is going to matter. And that is what should count, nothing else,"

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