When Dravid backed Shubman Gill to become all-format India captain
What's the story
Shubman Gill's leadership journey has been guided by head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, former Indian cricketer RP Singh has revealed that it was Rahul Dravid who first identified the spark in Gill back in 2020-21. Singh shared this during a conversation with Sony Sports, where he recalled a chat with Dravid before he became head coach of the Indian cricket team.
Dravid's foresight
Dravid picked Gill over big names
In their conversation, Singh asked Dravid who he thought could be the next captain of the Indian cricket team. "I asked Rahul bhai, 'Who do you think can become the next captain? He said Shubman Gill. It was like 4 years ago," said Singh. This was way back in 2020-21 when Gill wasn't even a regular across formats. Notably, Dravid was named India's head coach in late 2021. His tenure ended with India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.
Leadership potential
'Leave all that, he has got immense potential'
Singh further recalled that when he told Dravid about Gill not playing all three formats, the former India captain had said "leave all that, he has got immense potential." Dravid even predicted that one day Gill would be unstoppable and would captain India for a long time. This prediction has now come true with Gill recently being appointed as India's ODI captain. Earlier this year, he was named the Test skipper as well. In T20Is, Gill is India's vice-captain.
Career progression
Gill's rise to prominence
Before making his mark in senior cricket, Gill had a stellar run in age-group cricket. He was part of the 2018 U19 World Cup-winning team, where he was India's leading run-scorer with 372 runs in five innings. Since making his international debut in 2019, Gill has established himself as a key player across formats, and his leadership journey has been guided by head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Test captaincy
Gill led India to a draw in England
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's mid-season retirement from Tests during IPL 2025, Gill was appointed as the Test captain. He led India to a 2-2 draw in a five-Test series in England, scoring over 700 runs. His impressive performance as Test captain influenced the selection committee's decision to appoint him as India's ODI captain for the first time.