Ahead Of England Tour, Cheteshwar Pujara Issues Huge 'Captaincy' Warning To Shubman Gill: 'Won't Be Easy For Him'

Shubman Gill has been announced as the 37th Test captain and will lead the Indian team for the first time in the upcoming England tour. Gill will replace Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the longest format.

Cheteshwar Pujara Issues A Warning To Shubman Gill

With his Test captaincy, Gill has entered uncharted territory. He has captained the Gujarat Titans for two seasons and will have the onus to navigate the challenges in a time when the team has been going through a transition phase. This will be the first time in the last several years that the Indian team won't avail the service of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. Gill has been handed the charge of a comparatively young squad, but Cheteshwar Pujara feels, the 26-year-old will have a tough task to cut out on the English soil.

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In an interaction with Sony Sports, the India batter said, "When you go abroad as a captain, whether you are young or matured, it will be challenging. To start off in England, it won't be easy for Shubman but it's a great opportunity for a young player. If he leads well in England it will boost his confidence.

"The reason he has been given the responsibility ahead of Jasprit Bumrah is because we are hearing that Bumrah will not be able to play all five Test matches."

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Shubman Gill Will Have The Onus To Prove His Leadership Prowess

India didn't have the desired World Test Championship cycle, having lost back-to-back Test series against New Zealand and Australia. Gill will be under severe pressure to deliver as his performance in the SENA countries hasn't been good. He hasn't been a leader in the U-19 cricket and captained Punjab in only one match in the Ranji Trophy. The ideal scenario would have been to appoint him the vice-captain during the Bangladesh Test series, as he would have been warmed up in accordance with red-ball cricket.