“There aren't many jobs in world sport that come with as much pressure and scrutiny as being an Indian cricket captain” - Ex-England cricketer hails Shubman Gill

Former England cricketer and commentator Mark Butcher has heaped praise on the new Indian Test captain, Shubman Gill, for showcasing exceptional grit as a batter and as a captain on his maiden tour as captain.

Notably, Shubman Gill has scored three centuries in four innings in the ongoing England tour. While he started with a 147-run knock in the first innings of the Leeds Test, he later scored 269 runs in the first innings of the second Test and later, smacked 161 runs in the second innings.

Butcher, who spoke candidly with Press Trust of India (PTI), stated that Gill looked very comfortable in his new role as Indian Test captain and asserted that his temperament has been very serene.

"There aren't many jobs in world sport that come with as much pressure and scrutiny as being an Indian cricket captain, right? Not to mention you're filling in Kohli's spot in the order, or Tendulkar's spot in the order (both held the number four spot),” Butcher told PTI.

"So the pressures were enormous. And so far, he's taken to it like a duck to water. He's just looked very, very comfortable, very serene in terms of his temperament," he added.

It’s important to note that Gill took up the captaincy role after the senior duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from the longest format of the game ahead of the England tour. 

Despite having a lot of pressure on him in his debut series as a captain, Gill has amassed 585 runs in only four innings, scoring three exceptional centuries. Butcher reckoned that Gill will have a lot of records on his side by the end of the series.

"And technically, he's played beautifully as well. So what a great start to the series. I mean, he might have some records on his side by the end of it. He's passed enough already. So what's he got? 600 already in the series. It has been an incredible start,” he said.

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