Shubman Gill is set to lead India’s Test team for the first time on their upcoming tour of England, starting June 20. His Gujarat Titans teammate, Jos Buttler, warned the skipper of high expectations that the nationa will have from him. Shubman took the captaincy baton from Rohit Sharma becoming the 37th Test captain of India.
Speaking on his new podcast For the Love of Cricket with Stuart Broad, Buttler delved into what Gill’s captaincy might bring to the table, sharing high praise for the 24-year-old. He believes Gill can offer a balance of Kohli’s fiery passion and Rohit’s composed leadership style.
“He’s a really impressive player and an impressive young man. He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but [it’s] interesting, I feel like on the field he’s got a bit of fight about him; a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit,” Buttler said.
Gill, who has led Gujarat Titans in the IPL for two seasons, now faces the pressure of transitioning into the role of India’s red-ball leader, a position that holds immense cultural and sporting weight in the country.
Buttler, who has spent considerable time in India through his IPL stints, reflected on the immense expectations placed on Indian cricket captains.
“I don’t think we can quite understand the level of interest and the stardom that these guys have,” he remarked. “You see it around the IPL, you’re aware of it, but actually living that yourself… I think they say the Indian Test captain is like the third or fourth-most influential person in India, behind the Prime Minister etc. — so you really are put up on that pedestal.”
He also touched upon the mental challenge of separating the dual responsibilities of captaincy and batting, something he personally struggled with during the latter phase of his white-ball captaincy for England.
“He talked about compartmentalising batting and captaining; so when he’s batting he just wants to be a batter, and then he will try and work on his captaincy and try and separate the two roles,” Buttler explained. “When you’re doing such a big job as being captain of the Indian cricket team, he’ll have to try and do that well and have some good people supporting him.”
Gujarat Titans finished third in the IPL 2025 points table but were eliminated by Mumbai Indians in the eliminator. Despite the playoff exit, Gill’s leadership throughout the season impressed many, including Buttler.
Looking ahead, Buttler highlighted the symbolic magnitude of Gill taking on the No. 4 spot in India’s Test line-up, a position previously held by icons like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.
“He’s sort of the prince. Kohli is the king, Shubman is the prince: that’s the narrative that they spin out there, and I feel that he’s the coming man… Stepping into that No. 4, it’s big shoes, isn’t it? Coming behind Virat, and Sachin Tendulkar before that as well. That’s obviously a huge role.”
As Gill prepares to write his own chapter in India’s rich cricketing legacy, the expectations are sky-high, but so is the belief in his potential.
