Gautam Gambhir, BCCI urged to spark the 'rebirth of Shubman Gill' in England: 'We didn't realise Virat Kohli would…'

The Indian cricket team, led by captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, left for England last evening. After addressing his first official press conference as captain, where he addressed a few tough questions for the much-awaited and crucial five-Test series against England, Gill is set to embark on the toughest challenge of his career thus far. The Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy marks the beginning of India's road in the third World Test Championship cycle – a relatively stiffer assignment now that the team is without three of their stalwarts, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. The leadership group, in particular, will be put through a stern test when tactics and strategies need to be figured out in England’s swinging conditions. Shubman Gill, left, and Gautam Gambhir, right, addressed the media on Thursday evening(AP)

Of course, Gill's leadership will be in focus, but so will his batting. Gill's record in Test cricket hasn't been the most impactful – 1893 runs from 32 matches at an average of 35.05 – but more concerning are his numbers away from home – 649 runs in 13 Tests. However, former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta believes that if Gill is made to bat at No. 4, the world will witness an entirely different version of him.

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"From here on, we'll be seeing Shubman Gill 2.0 – in a different position. I’ve always believed that in Test match cricket, the middle order – and now specifically number four – is the right place for him. Earlier, I used to say 'middle order' because we didn't realise Virat would step away from the format this early. But now that the spot has opened up, I think number four is the perfect place for Shubman in red-ball cricket," he said on Star Sports.

'Going to be the rebirth of Shubman Gill'

As Dasgupta pointed out, with Kohli's retirement, the Indian think-tank, especially head coach Gambhir and the BCCI-appointed coaching staff, has a few decisions to make. With Sai Sudharsan earning his maiden Test call-up and Karun Nair making a return after eight long years, Kohli's replacement at No. 4 is not as straightforward as it may sound. Remember, the decision to push Gill down to No. 3 was made just a year ago, and given the lack of experience, Nair might well be the player to succeed Kohli. But Dasgupta insists that Gill should take up ownership of that position. Nair is 33. Gill, 25. You do the math.

"So, in a way, this is going to be a rebirth of Shubman Gill – the red-ball player, the red-ball batter. I’m not too concerned about the numbers from before, because as I said, those were from when he was opening or batting at number three. Technically, he is much better suited to number four, or the middle order, in Test cricket," he mentioned.

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