One day Shubman Gill might lead India in all three formats: Vikram Rathour

India’s former batting coach Vikram Rathour believes Shubman Gill could become India’s captain across all three formats in the future. 

The 24-year-old recently led India to a 4-1 T20I series victory in Zimbabwe and has now been named Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy for the three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, starting on July 27. Gill has also been named vice-captain for the ODI series.

"When I first saw him in the nets, my first impression was like everybody else’s. I saw exactly what a lot of people were talking about and spoke about his special talent,” Rathour told the Indian Express.

“When I first saw him playing, the immediate thought that went into my mind was ‘wow, this kid is extremely talented’. He knew his game, he understood how he needs to bat in different situations and never shied away from challenges.

"Whatever I have seen him, be it for the Gujarat Titans or in Zimbabwe, he did a good job. He has shown terrific body language, which is a must if you are leading a side. Now with the vice-captaincy, the BCCI has given him extra responsibility and I am sure he will thrive in this role."

Gill also captained Gujarat Titans in the 2024 Indian Premier League but the franchise failed to qualify for the knockouts. The right-handed batter has already featured in 25 Tests, 44 ODIs and 19 T20Is for India, scoring close to 4300 runs across all three formats.

Rathour feels that leadership responsibilities could bring out the best in Gill, as it did for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. "I feel captaincy brought the best out of Virat and Rohit and I feel it will do the same for Shubman. 

"Although, he is not yet the captain, being in the leadership group will bring the best out of him as well. This is I am very sure off. When you are in that role, leading others, it gives you that extra bit of responsibility, which is good and I think is great for a young kid like Shubman, who one day might lead India in all three formats."

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