"You have had a honeymoon start to your international career" - When Gautam Gambhir downplayed hype around Shubman Gill ahead of IND vs ENG 2021 Tests

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has never shied away from making strong remarks. One such instance was his comments on young batter Shubman Gill ahead of India's home Test series against England in 2021.

Gill was coming off an incredible debut Test series in Australia in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The stylish batter played the final three Tests of the series, scoring 259 runs at an average of 51.80. Gill's heroics helped India come back from a 0-1 deficit to win the series 2-1.

With India's next series being the home series against England, many wondered if Gill should continue opening the batting with Rohit Sharma.

Talking about the same on Star Sports, Gambhir said (via Times Now):

"Gill should be opening with Rohit Sharma, no doubt about it. But let's not jump the gun. We just can't put someone really high up there. Yes, he has got the talent but he needs to keep his head down because international cricket can be tough. Yes, you have had a honeymoon start to your international career - it can't be better than this."

He added:

"Playing in Australia, winning the series with a young side - you have done really well. You have batted beautifully, no doubt about it, but let's give him time as well and let him develop on his own rather than putting too much pressure and too much expectations on him."

Gambhir's remarks came to fruition as Gill struggled in the 2021 home series against England. He finished with only 119 runs at an average of under 20 in four Tests despite India's 3-1 series win.

Shubman Gill remains a frontrunner for Indian captaincy in upcoming England Tests

Shubman Gill is among the frontrunners mentioned in several reports to lead India in the upcoming Test series in England. Team India will play England in a five-Test series, starting June 20.

Rohit Sharma announced his Test retirement on May 7, leaving a vacuum in India's Test captaincy. Jasprit Bumrah is the official vice-captain and took over as skipper in two of the five Tests in their most recent series in Australia.

However, the latest reports suggest that the management is looking for someone likely to play in all the matches to lead the side. Frequent injuries over the past few years mean Bumrah will be rested intermittently as part of the workload management.