25-year-old Shubman Gill underwent baptism by fire as he led India on England tour. In his debut series as Test captain after senior trio Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement, India managed to level the five-Test series 2-2. While Gill smashed four centuries and was close to breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian batter in a Test series, his captaincy was criticised by many.
Former New Zealand batting all-rounder and current White Ferns head coach Craig McMillan weighed in on Gill's captaincy debut in Tests. He also said that the captain will have to talk to Head coach Gautam Gambhir and work out how he wants the team to play under him.
“He looks a good captain. The first series is very tough. In such a pressure-cooked series, he probably made a few mistakes. But you expect those in his first series. He will get better with experience. He is the future, so India will invest in him. He will get to know his team’s game, which I think is really important, and the style of play,” McMillan told TOI.
“When India had played under Virat Kohli, everyone knew how they had played — they had been aggressive. It might be a bit different because of the personality of Gill. He has got to work that out with the coach Gautam Gambhir,” he explained.
McMillan helping White Ferns prepare for World Cup 2025
The New Zealand women’s cricket team is currently in India at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) academy to prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2025. They will look to replicate their success in the T20 format into ODIs. Last year, they won the T20 World Cup in UAE.
“The World Cup is not that far away, so to come to India and expose some of our girls to what we are likely to face, is hugely beneficial. The time we have had at the academy has been outstanding. It is a beneficial trip, which will help us come WC time,” the 48-year-old said.
On September 25 and 27, they will play their ODI World Cup 2025 warm-up matches against South Africa and India respectively. They will begin their World Cup 2025 campaign against defending champions Australia at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on October 1.