25 saal ki umar mein, Gill ko Indian Test team ka 37th captain banaya gaya hai, jo ki ek bada aur risk bhara faisla hai. Michael Vaughan, jo ek samay England ke captain rahe, ne is faisle ko “bold move” kaha hai, kyunki team ab Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli aur Ravichandran Ashwin jaise bade khiladiyon ke baghair ek naye daur mein kadam rakh rahi hai. Yeh nayi team, jo England ke khilaf five-match Test series khelegi, ek tarah se anparikshit hai, aur Gill ke kandhon par badi zimmedari hai. India ka recent performance kuch khas nahi raha hai – New Zealand aur Australia ke khilaf back-to-back series haar chuki hai, jo team ke liye ek bada jhatka tha. Aise mein, ek young captain ke saath aisi challenging tour par jana, jahan India ne aakhri baar 2007 mein Rahul Dravid ki captaincy mein jeet hasil ki thi, ek kathin pariksha hai.
Lekin is naye daur mein kuch ummeed ki kiranein bhi dikh rahi hain. Shubman Gill, jinhone 2020 mein Australia ke khilaf Melbourne mein apna Test debut kiya, ek shandar batsman ke roop mein ubhar rahe hain. Unke 32 Tests mein 1,893 runs, jismein 5 centuries aur 7 half-centuries shamil hain, yeh batate hain ki unmein badi innings khelne ki salahiyat hai. Unki batting style, jo graceful aur technically sound hai, unhe ek alag pehchan deti hai. Unhe “Prince” kaha jata hai, aur yeh nickname unke parivar ne diya tha, jo ab cricket duniya mein bhi mashhoor hai. Gill ka experience T20 aur IPL mein bhi kaafi hai, jahan unhone Gujarat Titans ko playoffs tak le jaya hai. Unki leadership style calm aur tactical hai, jo team ke liye ek naya approach la sakta hai. Sath hi, Rishabh Pant ka vice-captain hona ek bada bonus hai. Pant, jo apne aggressive batting aur energetic presence ke liye jaane jate hain, 2021 mein Australia ke khilaf Gabba Test mein ek yaadgaar 89* runs ki innings khel chuke hain, jisse India ne historic jeet hasil ki thi. Yeh dono young khiladi, sath mein Yashasvi Jaiswal aur Sai Sudharsan jaise naye talent ke saath, team ko ek fresh energy de sakte hain.
Vaughan ka yeh kehna ki “this England tour could be the start of something special” bilkul bhi galat nahi hai. India ke paas ab bhi Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja aur Mohammed Siraj jaise experienced bowlers hain, jo England ke Bazball style ke khilaf majboot challenge pesh kar sakte hain. Bumrah, jinhone 2024 mein Perth Test mein shandar captaincy ki thi, team ke liye ek bada asset hain, bhale hi woh captaincy na kar rahe hon. Sath hi, Sai Sudharsan aur Arshdeep Singh jaise naye khiladiyon ko mauka diya gaya hai, jo apne domestic performances ke dam par team mein jagah banaye hain. Ricky Ponting ne bhi Gill ki captaincy ko “smart and timely” kaha hai, aur unhone Arshdeep ke Dukes ball ke sath khelne ki kshamata ki taareef ki hai. Yeh nayi team, jo 20 June se Leeds mein apna pehla Test khelegi, shayad kuch aisa kamaal kar jaye jo 2007 mein Dravid ki team ne kiya tha, jab India ne England mein 1-0 se series jeeti thi.
Phir bhi, challenges kam nahi hain. England ka tour hamesha se tough raha hai, aur is baar conditions aur Bazball approach ke saath yeh aur bhi mushkil hoga. Gill ka away record – 27.53 ka average – unke home record (42.03) se kaafi kamzor hai, jo unke liye ek chinta ka vishay hai. Sath hi, Mohammed Shami ka unfit hona ek bada jhatka hai, kyunki unki pace aur swing bowling England mein kaafi effective hoti. Team ke paas experience ki kami bhi dikh sakti hai, kyunki Rohit aur Kohli jaise khiladiyon ka void bharna asaan nahi hoga. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar ne kaha hai ki Gill ko “next five-six years ke liye” invest kiya gaya hai, lekin agar yeh series galat hui, toh un par pressure badh sakta hai. Yeh tour na sirf Gill ki captaincy ke liye, balki pure team ke liye ek bada test hai – ek aisa test jo ya toh ek naye daur ki shuruaat ban sakta hai, ya phir ek aur disappointment ka karan.
