'He will take the international stage by storm...': Ex-India World Cup-winning coach makes big prediction on Shubman Gill ahead of England Tests

Former India head coach Gary Kirsten, who guided the team to the famous 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, believes that newly-appointed India captain Shubman Gill has got all the indgredients to become a really good leader. The upcoming five-match series against England will be Gill's first-ever Test assignment as the skipper. The 25-year-old has never captained the Men in Blue in the longest format before so this will be a brand-new experience for him.

Though there are still many doubts regarding Gill's leadership abilities, Kirsten feels that despite the constant scrutiny against him, the new India captain will soak up the pressure and deliver in the England series.

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"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," Kirstan told JioHotstar.

"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," he added.

Kirsten feels that Gill is an example for younger players

Kirsten further praised Gill for being organized, dilligent and for also being an example for the younger players to look up to. He further predicted that the batter from Punjab will 'take the international stage by storm.'

"The one thing I really like about Shubman is that he walks the talk. He's very organised, 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," Kirsten stated.

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The assignment against England will be Gill's opportunity to prove all his doubters wrong and emerge not only as a strong, but as a successful leader as well. It will be a massive feat if Gill & Co. go on to triumph in the series over the Three Lions on English soil as the Men in Blue haven't been able to do so since 2007.

India squad for England Tests: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.