Former England Cricketer Backs BCCI's Decision Of Naming Shubman Gill As New ODI Captain: 'It Is A Great Decision'

India vs Australia: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, October 4, announced Team India's squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, which will start from October 19.

The cricket administrative board shocked the cricket fans after they axed Rohit Sharma's captaincy role, instead making Shubman Gill the new leader of Team India in the ODIs.

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India To Start Australia Tour On October 19

India will begin their white-ball tour of Australia with the three-match ODI series. The first ODI match of the series will be played on October 19 at the Perth Stadium. Adelaide Oval will host the second ODI match of the series on October 23. The third and final 50-over match of the series is scheduled to be played on October 25 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.

After the conclusion of the three-match ODI series, the Men in Blue will take on the Aussies in the five-match T20I series. The first T20I match of the series will be played on October 29 at the Manuka Oval. The second and third matches will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground and Bellerive Oval, on October 31 and November 2, respectively.

The fourth and fifth T20I matches of the series will be played on November 6 and 8, at the Bill Pippen Oval and The Gabba, respectively.

Shubman Gill Received Praise For His Natural Leadership Qualities

Unlike others, the former England cricketer Monty Panesar backed BCCI's decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new captain in the 50-over format, saying that it's a great decision since Rohit Sharma can guide him if he needs any help.

"I think it is a great decision because I think he has done really well. Making him captain while Rohit Sharma is there, he can help him and guide him during the series. It is a really good move. We have seen he is a natural leader that we have seen in England," Monty Panesar told ANI.

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Panesar predicted that soon the BCCI will hand over Shubman Gill the T20I captaincy, since the youngster is such a player who can perform with responsibilities on his shoulders.

"When you give him responsibility, you see the best of Shubman Gill. I think we will see the best of him in the ODI series. I wouldn't be surprised that they give him the T20I captaincy because I think he is a type of player who does well when you give him responsibility," he added.

Shubman Gill made his ODI debut in 2019 against New Zealand. The 26-year-old played 55 ODIs, scoring 2775 runs at an average of 59.04 and a strike rate of 99.56. He hammered eight centuries and 15 half-centuries for the Men in Blue.