"That could change" - England spinner compares Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli's leadership style ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

England spinner Adil Rashid recently compared the leadership styles of current India Test captain Shubman Gill with former captain Virat Kohli ahead of the third Test between England and India. The third Test of the five-match series is set to begin on Thursday, July 10, at the iconic Lord's.

There was a discussion on the Beard Before Wicket podcast around Virat Kohli being a leader who showed his emotions on the field, while Shubman Gill did not. Adil Rashid opined that it could change with the performances and results going forward, as Gill is very early in his stint as India captain.

"That could change on performances, depending on whether they win or lose. It is still very early. If he goes through a bad patch that might change, in ways of how he deals with certain things. Kohli always, whether it was first or till the end, that passion he always had. Fiery, he had that thing. That's how some characters are. Kohli's character was that. He got the best out of the team. Shubman will be interesting to see how he goes," Adil said on the 'Beard Before Wicket' Podcast. (7:53)

Shubman Gill lost his debut Test as a captain with India suffering a five-wicket loss in the opening Test against England in Leeds. However, he, along with the Indian team, made a roaring comeback in the second Test to win by 336 runs and level the series 1-1.

---

"They dominated world cricket because he molded the team in his image" - Dawid Malan on Virat Kohli's captaincy

In the same conversation, England batter Dawid Malan argued that Virat Kohli earned everyone's respect as captain despite showing his emotions. He lauded the former Indian captain for his leadership and credited him for India dominating world cricket.

"Kohli earned the respect from everyone but he showed his emotions out. He wanted people to be in a fight and really into the game. The Indian team that he led under that era was phenomenal. They dominated world cricket because he molded the team in his image. So both ways work," he said.

Notably, Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test captain. He led the team in 68 matches and won 40 out of those, with a win percentage of 58.82 percent. Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket just ahead of the England tour.