Our Bureau
London
The stage is all set as India is going to kickstart their World Test Championship Cycle against England in a 5-match series on 20th June. It is a highly anticipated series that will mark a new chapter in Indian test history as Shubman Gill is taking the reins as the captain of the red-ball side. Graham Gooch, former England captain, spoke about the pressure of captaincy and the responsibilities that are lined up ahead for Gill.
Gooch was talking about the honor that comes when you are captaining your country. He said that he doesn’t agree with the pressure of captaincy and thinks that Gill is quite capable of handling the burden of it. He stated that Gill should focus more on his batting and performing for the team as that will help him in captaincy as well.
Gooch said, “The captain, it’s a great honour to captain your country, and I’m sure he’ll (Gill) handle it in a good way. I don’t quite agree with the pressure. Some people are not up to the pressure. I don’t agree with that sentiment. I believe that being made captain of your country is the greatest honour a performer can receive.”
“I think the most important thing for a captain is you’ve got to perform. Your main job in the team is to perform, with the bat in his case. So he has to do that. Captaincy is secondary to performing. And if you perform well yourself, that makes the captaincy easier,” former English captain stated.
He was asked about what he thinks about the challenges that Gill will face leading a rather inexperienced side. He stated that the talent in the Indian side is unprecedented and undeniable but they will have some big shoes to fill in after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
He stated, “It’s a new era, isn’t it? My view is that if one door closes, another one opens. I’m sure they’ll give a good account of themselves. Talent in the Indian cricket team is undoubted. It’s just that there’s some big shoes to fill with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring.”
