'Virat always aggressive, Rohit very calm' - Shubman Gill compares leadership style of Kohli and Rohit

Indian Test captain Shubman Gill expressed gratitude for having had the opportunity to play alongside many legendary cricketers. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series in England on May 24, with Gill named the new Test skipper following the retirement of Rohit Sharma.

The 25-year-old spoke about the contrasting leadership styles of Virat Kohli and Rohit. Gill admitted that they both shared a common vision but noted that their approach to captaincy was distinctly different.

“When I was a kid, always inspired by the greats and the legends of Indian cricket and been very fortunate to be able to play with so many of them, be it Virat or Rohit. Both were very contrasting in terms of their style, but it was very inspiring to see both of them working towards a common goal. You want to be able to win as a captain and your styles can be different, but they both were very different, but also, similar in their own sense,” said Gill in a video shared by the BCCI.

The Punjab-born cricketer explained that Kohli was very aggressive and always led with immense passion. He conceded that while Rohit also was aggressive but displayed it in a composed manner. Gill mentioned that the Indian ODI skipper was tactically brilliant in his leadership and was effective in communicating with players.

“Virat bhai was always very aggressive, always wanting to lead from the front with hunger and passion, whereas Rohit bhai was also aggressive, but you might not see that on their reaction or on their expressions, but he was also someone who was always very attacking on the field. Rohit bhai was someone who was very calm and tactically always very present and he's very communicative to the players, what he wants from the players. So these are the qualities that I learned from them,” he added.