'Virat bhai was always very aggressive, Rohit bhai was someone...': Shubman Gill's candid take on Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's leadership styles

Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as India's Test captain and will be seen leading the pack in the upcoming England tour which is set to start from June 20. His appointment as skipper for the upcoming five-match Test series in England was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on May 24, as part of an 18-member squad.

Right after becoming India's 37th Test captain, Shubman Gill expressed his appreciation for having played alongside numerous cricketing legends. The 25-year-old also commented on the differing leadership approaches of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While acknowledging that both shared a similar vision for the team, Gill highlighted that their captaincy styles were notably distinct.

“When I was a kid, always inspired by the greats and the legends of Indian cricket and been very fortunate to be able to play with so many of them, be it Virat or Rohit. Both were very contrasting in terms of their style, but it was very inspiring to see both of them working towards a common goal. You want to be able to win as a captain and your styles can be different, but they both were very different, but also, similar in their own sense,” said Gill in a video shared by the BCCI.

Shubman Gill compares Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma leadership styles

Gill elaborated on the contrasting styles, noting that Kohli was known for his highly aggressive approach, consistently leading with immense passion. He conceded that while Rohit also displayed aggression, it was in a more composed manner. Gill further highlighted the Indian ODI skipper's tactical brilliance in his leadership and his effective communication with players.

“Virat bhai was always very aggressive, always wanting to lead from the front with hunger and passion, whereas Rohit bhai was also aggressive, but you might not see that on their reaction or on their expressions, but he was also someone who was always very attacking on the field. Rohit bhai was someone who was very calm and tactically always very present and he's very communicative to the players, what he wants from the players. So these are the qualities that I learned from them,” Gill concluded.

India's Test squad for England tour:

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.