Young Indian batsman Shubman Gill has spoken about his new role after being made vice-captain in the limited overs formats for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Shubman Gill said that his role has not changed much in terms of his batting performance in the white-ball formats despite being appointed vice-captain.

The Men in Blue will play three T20I matches against Sri Lanka at Pallekele from July 27-30. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team in the shortest format, with Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Notably, Gill was not selected for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

Shubman was the captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He faced several challenges including injuries, a struggling batting line-up and selection issues. He failed to lead his team to the playoffs after his disappointing personal batting performance in the T20 tournament.

Not much changes – Shubman Gill

Speaking to the media ahead of the Sri Lanka T20I on Thursday, July 25, Shubman Gill stated that his main focus remains on playing and winning matches for the national cricket team. Gill added that the main difference is the additional decision-making responsibilities on the field.

“(On vice-captaincy) As a batsman, it doesn’t change much. When I’m batting, I still need to perform at my best and I need to win matches for the team, that doesn’t change. But when you’re on the field, you have to make a bit more decisions than when you’re playing as a player. I think that’s the main difference,” Gill said.

Shubman Gill full press conference
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-Ahmed (@AhmedSG77) July 25, 2024

Shubman Gill was seen in action during the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe earlier this month. The right-handed batsman led the young Indian team in the absence of regular players. He guided the team to a 4-1 win despite losing the first match. Gill was the top scorer in the series with 170 runs in five innings.

The selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar and new head coach Gautam Gambhir, showed confidence in Gill after a fruitful series in Zimbabwe. The young batsman was given the responsibility of vice-captain in both white-ball formats. The team management wants to groom him as a future captain of the Indian team.

The 24-year-old batsman has represented the Indian team in 19 T20I matches. The right-handed batsman has amassed 505 runs at an average of 29.70 and a strike rate of 139.50, including one century and three fifties. Shubman Gill had struggled ahead of the recent Zimbabwe series, registering scores of 9, 0, 8 and 23.

Gautam Gambhir will begin his tenure as India’s head coach with the Sri Lanka series, backed by new members of staff including Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate. After the T20I series, the Indian team will play three ODIs against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo from August 2-7.

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