“Captains are not made in 1-2 months” - Indian legend’s massive claim on Shubman Gill ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh believes newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill should be given enough time to prove his leadership mettle. The 25-year-old was appointed India's Test captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format last month.

Gill's first assignment as skipper will be India's five-Test tour of England, starting June 20. The youngster is coming off leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a third-place finish on the IPL 2025 points table and a spot in the playoffs.

However, he has captained India only once previously in a series - the five-match T20I affair in Zimbabwe last year.

Talking about Gill's captaincy, Harbhajan told the media (via ANI news):

"Every captain has the capability to carry forward the legacy. Captains are not made in 1-2 months. You give some time to Gill, he will rise to the occasion, and you will see how capable he is as a captain. We have already seen him as a batter, that he is 'Gill sahab the great'".

He added:

"We hope that India does well once again on English soil. Best wishes to Shubman Gill and Team India. It is a young team but a 'dum waali team'."

India battled with the hosts toe-to-toe in their previous Test tour of England in 2021/22, with the five-match series ending in a 2-2 draw.

Shubman Gill has struggled with the bat in his young Test career

Shubman Gill will look to overcome his inconsistencies with the bat in the Test format and lead from the front in the five-match series in England. Despite blazing away in the white-ball formats, the right-hander has been on and off in Test cricket.

Gill averages only 35.05 with five centuries and seven half-centuries in 32 red-ball games for India. He was dropped from India's playing XI for one of the games in their most recent Test series in Australia in 2024/25.

The stylish batter has batted at No.3 for India in Tests since the middle of 2023. However, with the sudden retirements of Rohit and Virat Kohli, it remains to be seen where Gill bats in the upcoming England Tests.

India and England last met in a Test series in India at the start of 2024, with Gill scoring two centuries and a 91 to help the hosts pull off a 4-1 win.