"We have thrown you in the deep sea" - Gautam Gambhir's massive revelation on conversation with Team India batter amid IND vs WI 2025 2nd Test

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir recalled his first-ever conversation with Shubman Gill following his appointment as Test captain ahead of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. The Men in Blue returned a promising 2-2 series draw in the five-match series to kick-start the ace batter's reign as red-ball skipper.

Team India had to fast-track their Test cricket leadership plans after Rohit Sharma's abrupt retirement from the format amid the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill was handed the responsibility over some senior members like Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, who had led the team in the past on sporadic occasions.

The England tour presented a massive challenge for Shubman Gill, as he had to take a team undergoing transition, coupled with Jasprit Bumrah's limited availability due to workload management, while also battling an injury crisis. India ended recording historic wins at Edgbaston and The Oval to make a solid start to their 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.

Gambhir revealed how he told Gill that his Test captaincy career could go either way at the start of his tenure.

"I remember the entire conversation. I told him one thing very clearly, that we have thrown you in the deep sea, and there are only two outcomes from here. Either you will drown or you will become world-class. For me, the 750-odd runs he scored in England does not matter much. If he had not scored those in that tour, he would have scored it in the next tour, that is his quality," Gambhir said on Jio Hotstar.

"What mattered for me, was the way a 25-year-old kid, with a young team, handled himself and his captaincy, the pressure, over there against a quality England side. Because I don't think there will be a more difficult test than that in his captaincy career, whether he leads for 10 years, 15 years, or 2 years. I don't think any captain in India has had such a challenge, over a span of 2 months, considering how intimidating England's batting was, and how inexperienced our team was," Gambhir added.

Shubman Gill also marked his first home Test as captain with a resounding win. Team India defeated the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to claim a series lead in the two-match affair.

"I told him that he just passed his most difficult test" - Gautam Gambhir on his talk with Shubman Gill after 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Shubman Gill was on the brink of suffering a 1-3 series defeat in his first assignment after England put on yet another fourth innings batting masterclass in the fifth Test at The Oval. India, however, defied odds to make a resounding comeback on the final day to level the series.

Gambhir recalled how he told Shubman Gill that the most challenging series is out of the way, and he can now look forward to some relatively easier matches going forward.

"He has passed his most difficult test, and I told him after we won at The Oval, I told him that he just passed his most difficult test in the transition, and from here on, things will be much easier. I hope they get more easier for him because he deserves every bit of it. The amount of criticism he has received, the kind of things people have said about him, it has been unfair. You can't expect a 25-year-old kid to have an average of 50, and score every time everywhere. The kind of potential he has, I was never shocked that he scored 750 runs in England," Gambhir revealed.

Gill's baptism by fire in England was far from a straightforward affair. Apart from intense cricketing action on the field, with all five matches going to the fifth day, there were several heated moments and off-field issues that he had to deal as well.

"There were moments where I was under pressure, the support staff was under pressure, and more than us, Gill was under pressure on the field. But, I don't think so in those 25 days, I saw a single moment where he showed that frustration or the pressure on his face," Gambhir concluded.

Gill was embroiled in a major altercation with Zak Crawley during the third Test at Lord's, while there were numerous instances of sledging and exchanges during the tour.