ENG vs IND 2025: Shubman Gill must become a man manager like MS Dhoni to be great captain - Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten has seen Shubman Gill's captaincy from close quarters during his association with Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former South African opener was the batting coach and mentor of the Titans during Shubman's first season as captain in the cash-rich league in 2024.

Shubman was appointed captain of the Indian Test team after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the longest format in May. The Punjab batter is having a tough time in his maiden assignment as India's Test captain as the Asian giants are trailing 1-2 in the five-match series against England, with the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy up for grabs.

Recently, Kirsten shared his views on Gill’s captaincy, saying that he has made a good initial impression and has all the abilities to become a great India captain. Kirsten also suggested him to become a great man manager like MS Dhoni.

“Well, it's early days. I think he's got great potential. Captaincy is a whole lot of things that you've got to put together. He's a great thinker in the game. He's a good player himself. But there's a whole bunch of things you've got to get right. And I think man management is going to play, like any leader. Dhoni was an incredible man-manager. If he can get that component of his leadership really fired up, I think he has all the credentials to become a great captain for India,” Kirsten said in an interview with Rediff.com.

Virat Kohli becomes first player to achieve epic feat

Also Read

Virat Kohli becomes first player to achieve epic feat

The Cape Town-born had a great working relationship with Dhoni when he was the coach of the Indian team, and the wicketkeeper-batter was the captain. Their camaraderie was instrumental in helping the Men in Blue lift the ODI World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

Coming to Shubman, he has been in sensational form with the bat in England. In six innings, he has amassed 607 runs at an average of 101.17. The 25-year-old will look to inspire his team to make a strong comeback against Ben Stokes and Co.