What if Shubman Gill fails as captain and batter in ENG vs IND Test series?

Shubman Gill has had a fantastic start to his captaincy reign as he smashed a belligerent century on Day 1 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday, June 20. He needed this knock as the Punjab batter's appointment as captain had been questioned by some experts and a section of fans, and a failure with the bat would have amplified the voices of his doubters.

Shubman was appointed as India's 37th Test captain, as he succeeded Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format on May 7. Since then, Shubman's critics have put out certain points to indicate that the 25-year-old isn't the right choice for the prestigious role.

Shubman has no time to ease into his role as his first assignment as captain is a five-match Test tour of the United Kingdom, where a formidable England side will look to start well in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle.

One of the points the critics raised was Shubman's abysmal Test average of 35.06 after playing 32 matches. The Fazilka-born showed promise but couldn't unlock his full potential in the red-ball format. Some naysayers questioned his place in the side, let alone being the captain.

Before the Headingley Test, Shubman averaged 25.70 from 11 Tests in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries. In England, before the first Test in Leeds, his average was a dismal 14.67 from three Tests.

India have a fairly inexperienced side, with stalwarts like Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin retiring from Test cricket in recent times. Mohammed Shami hasn't been included due to concerns over his fitness. However, if the result in the series doesn't go in India's favour, especially if they lose convincingly, critics might not take all this into consideration and spare Shubman. So, it is important for him to score runs as well as do well as a captain.

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While Shubman is mature enough not to get bogged down by outside noise, and his century at Headingley is a testament to that, he will still want to start well in his new role. Critics will also need to understand that a captain needs time to instill his philosophy into his teammates. A home series to start things could have helped him bide his time, but if he survives the trial by fire, he will earn the respect of many of his naysayers.