‘Gill will thrive in his new role’ – Vikram Rathour on ‘Prince’ getting ready for leadership

Shubman Gill will thrive in his new role as the ODI vice-captain, feels former India batting coach Vikram Rathour. Soon after Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as Team India’s new head coach, the selectors decided to appoint Gill as Rohit’s deputy in the ODIs, which, to Vikram, is an excellent decision. Having watched Gill grow as a batter during his time with the Indian Team, Vikram explains how leadership will help Gill mature as a cricketer.

Following Hardik Pandya’s departure as Gujarat Titans captain ahead of this season, the franchise handpicked Gill to lead in IPL 2024. Though he missed out on getting picked for the T20 World Cup campaign in the Americas later, the BCCI named him the skipper of the recently concluded five-match T20Is against Zimbabwe, which India won 4-1.

Speaking to the Indian Express in an exclusive chat, Rathour explained how, by looking at Gill’s body language, he knew that the star batter would make a great captain one day.

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“Whatever I have seen him, be it for the Gujarat Titans or in Zimbabwe (when Gill led in a T20 series), he did a good job. He has shown terrific body language, which is a must if you are leading a side. Now with the vice-captaincy, the BCCI has given him extra responsibility, and I am sure he will thrive in this role,” Rathour said in a chat with The Indian Express.

Confidence and game awareness – Gill’s USP

Detailing further on what made him believe that Gill has both confidence and game awareness, Rathour recalled an instance ahead of the England Tests earlier this year, when Gill approached the leadership group to take up the number three role willingly. Although he was out of touch, having failed to score a fifty in the past 12 innings in the lead-up to that, Gill slammed a stunning hundred in the second innings of the Vizag Test.

“The talk came from him. He felt that No 3 was an ideal position for him to bat, and the management group backed him. It was his decision, which was backed by Rahul, myself and Rohit, and he turned it around in the England series,” Rathour continued.

The former batting coach also shared what he thought of Gill when he first saw him bat in the nets.

“When I first saw him in the nets, my first impression was like everybody else’s. I saw exactly what a lot of people were talking about and spoke about his special talent. When the first time I saw him playing, the immediate thought that went into my mind was ‘Whoa this kid is extremely talented’.

“What impressed me the most was his game awareness, which is something you don’t generally see in the young cricketers, who are coming through the ranks. He knew his game, he understood how he needed to bat in different situations and never shied away from challenges,” Rathour added.

(With inputs from agencies)