Is Shubman Gill good enough a leader to win ODI series Down Under? ‘Impressed’ Finch contemplates

Former Australian captain and opener Aaron Finch is impressed with Shubman Gill’s leadership skills, but contemplates whether he could lead his side to an ODI series win Down Under. Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as the new Indian captain, with the three-match ODI series against Australia being his first assignment. Having already led in international cricket before, Gill will have plenty to play for against the mighty Aussies; however, one thing that Finch is sure of is that this series will be a cracker.

Considering that the selectors recalled batting stalwarts, Rohit and Virat Kohli, with Shreyas Iyer (new vice-captain) also returning to the white-ball setup, Team India has a powerhouse of batters waiting to unleash against Australia. Finch, however, backs the hosts to walk out as winners.

"It will be a great series," Finch said to ICC on the sidelines of the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup. "It always is against India, and I think having Virat back in there brings out the best in him against Australia. It's always a great battle when you look at it on paper, as it's very evenly matched, but I'd say Australia (win the series) 2-1.

"Not confidently though, as India are a great side and it will just be a great series to watch," he continued.

Boost for Gill

The BCCI selectors picked a potent squad for Australia ODIs, with several match winners and a few former captains available to guide Gill through his maiden stint as One-Day captain. Reflecting on the same, Finch said Kohli and Rohit’s presence will make captaincy comfortable for Gill, who, he feels, is bound to succeed with time.

"Shubman has already shown what a good leader he is in T20 cricket and Test cricket, so I'm sure this will be no different," Finch noted. "He's a brilliant player, particularly in the white-ball formats, and the way that he captained against England in the Test series is just a huge tick in his box to take the next step and take over the Indian leadership right the way through (all three formats).

"I think when you look back to that England Test series, he (Gill) didn't have many other options that he could turn to for advice, probably when he was out on the ground, but he did a wonderful job himself.

"But I think just having those guys (Rohit and Kohli) there will be a real calmness for him as well, because it's the ability to bounce ideas, both on and off the field on how you want the team to function going forward, because they've been such a huge part of the team for a long period of time,” he concluded.

India's tour of Australia, consisting of three One-Dayers and five T20Is, begins on October 19 in Perth.