Mumbai, January 19: Former Indian batter Suresh Raina lauded the decision to appoint young opener Shubman Gill as the team's vice-captain for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, saying that the move "speaks volumes" about his potential.
Gill was appointed as skipper Rohit Sharma's deputy in the ICC Champions Trophy squad announced on Saturday. This comes after the young batter had a poor Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia, scoring just 93 runs in five innings at an average of 18.60. Previously, during the Sri Lanka tour held last year, Gill was deputy to T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit in ODIs.
Speaking on Star Sports Press Room, Raina lauded the move and said that skipper Rohit knows who the next leader will be, calling Gill one of the "best captains we have ever seen" for his leadership in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Gujarat Titans (GT).
"I think Shubman Gill is the next superstar in India. He has done remarkably well in the one-day side. When you give such a good opportunity to a youngster, like making him the vice-captain in the ICC Champions Trophy, it speaks volumes about his potential. Rohit Sharma clearly knows who the next leader will be," said Raina.
"Gill is one of the best captains we have seen, especially with how he led the Gujarat team in the IPL. The way he has performed in the last 12-16 months justifies this decision. That is why Rohit will open with him--it is a great move by the selectors and Rohit Sharma himself. Rohit has observed how Gill leads, much like how Virat Kohli did. Gill's on-field work ethic is exceptional. He knows the team, leads from the front, and has a strong awareness of the game. It is a very good move by the selectors and Rohit," he added.
In 47 ODIs, Gill has scored 2,328 runs at an average of 58.20, with a strike rate of 101.74. He has made six centuries and 13 fifties in the format, with the best score of 208.
In his last appearance in ODIs for India, he played the Sri Lanka series last year, making 57 runs in three innings at an average of 19.00 and best score of 35. In his ICC Cricket World Cup debut in 2023, Gill delivered a solid performance with 354 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 106.24. This included four half-centuries, including 92 against Sri Lanka and 80* against New Zealand in the semifinals.
The India Squad for ICC Champions Trophy:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
India's Group Stage Fixtures:February 20 - India vs Bangladesh, Dubai
February 23 - India vs Pakistan, Dubai
March 2 - India vs New Zealand, Dubai.
