Former BCCI president and legendary Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has extended his best wishes to Shubman Gill, who is set to lead India in ODIs for the first time. Ganguly expressed confidence in the young batter’s leadership skills and his ability to perform consistently in the 50-over format.
ODI Captaincy Debut Against Australia
Gill will begin his first ODI assignment as full-time captain with a three-match series against Australia, starting October 19 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The series will also see the return of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who last played in the ODI format during the Champions Trophy final earlier this year.
Ganguly Praises Gill’s Leadership
Congratulating the new skipper, Ganguly lauded his composure and the team’s strong setup. “I congratulate him. He led India well in England. He is a good player and will continue to perform well in the future because the Indian team is strong. It is a self-selected team; all players are performing, which is why they got the opportunity,†Ganguly said.
Success Across Formats
Gill, who now captains India in both Tests and ODIs, previously led the red-ball team in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. His stellar performance with the bat helped India secure a 2-2 series draw, proving his ability to handle leadership responsibilities on the international stage.
Speaking to reporters ahead of India’s second Test against the West Indies, Gill reflected on the honour and responsibility of captaining the ODI side. “It obviously is a big responsibility and an even bigger honour. I am extremely excited to lead my country in that format. And yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me. But I am really looking forward to what the future has.â€
He added that his focus remains on staying present and looking forward, rather than dwelling on past achievements:
“I want to stay as present as possible and do not really want to look back on what I’ve been able to achieve or what we as a team have been able to achieve. I just want to look forward and win everything we have in the upcoming months.â€
Looking Ahead
With Gill taking the reins and Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning, India’s upcoming tour of Australia promises to be an exciting chapter. Fans and experts alike will be watching closely to see how the young captain steers the Men in Blue in the ODI format.
India’s ODI squad for Australia tour: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal
