No expectations or pressure: Gill reveals Gambhir, Agarkar want him to 'express himself as a leader'

New Delhi, June 15 Shubman Gill, who is set to begin a new era as India's Test captain with five-Test series against England, starting from June 20, revealed that there are no expectations from the head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar as they want him to express himself as a leader and not expect him to do something he can't.

Following the Test retirement of Rohit Sharma, Gill was appointed as India’s 37th Test captain. He has played as an opener and No. 3 batter for India in Tests. His first assignment as skipper will mark the beginning of India's new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. The right-handed opening batter will have wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as his deputy.

"The expectations… I've had this conversation numerous times with Gauti bhai and Ajit bhai. They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. That's what they've told me 'there are no expectations'. They are not expecting me to do something I am not capable of. In terms of that, I don't think that there are any expectations or pressure from them but you definitely have some kind of expectations from yourself as a leader and a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself but not from them," Gill said in an interview with former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel.

Reflecting on what would be his leadership approach in the Test series against England, Gill said, "Apart from all the silverware and trophies aside, I would ideally like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy."

"I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition or the number of matches that we play and different squads coming in, but if I am able to do that, that would be my goal," he added.

The upcoming India tour of England marks a significant new chapter for Team India as a fresh squad prepares to take on one of cricket’s most challenging assignments in English conditions. Historically, India’s success in Test series on English soil has been rare, with the team having won a Test series in England only three times in the past 100 years.

These landmark victories came in 1971, 1986, and 2007, each time under the leadership of a new or first-time captain - Ajit Wadekar in 1971, Kapil Dev in 1986 and Rahul Dravid in 2007 - highlighting the pivotal role of new leadership in these historic triumphs.

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