Former India batter and commentator Manoj Tiwary believes Shubman Gill remains to be within the early stages of his development as an ODI captain and would profit from the support and guidance of experienced players around him. His remarks got here after India secured a dominant 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan at home.
The victory marked Gill’s first ODI series triumph since being handed the captaincy in the course of 2025. The young opener inherited the role following Rohit Sharma’s tenure, taking charge amid significant expectations. Nevertheless, his initial assignments proved difficult, with India suffering back-to-back 2-1 series defeats against Australia and Recent Zealand.
The Afghanistan series, though, provided a much-needed breakthrough for each Gill and the team. Leading from the front, the right-handed batter played a vital role throughout the three-match contest and ended as the best run-scorer of the series. His performances helped India complete a comprehensive whitewash and register their first ODI series success under his leadership.
Tiwary acknowledged that captaincy is a skill that develops with experience and suggested that Gill remains to be learning the demands of the role. While he doesn’t view the Indian skipper as someone who naturally possesses all of the qualities of a born leader, he expressed confidence that Gill has the potential to evolve into an efficient captain over time.
In accordance with Tiwary, continued exposure to leadership responsibilities and the backing of senior members within the dressing room will play a crucial part in shaping Gill’s growth as India’s ODI captain within the years ahead.
“This series went well for him as captain. The more series he captains, the higher he’ll get. He is just not a ‘born leader’ yet, but he’ll learn. Every little thing comes naturally to a born leader, after which there may be someone like Shubman Gill who learns with time, and that’s the reason it is crucial for Rohit and Virat, and even KL to remain within the team and advise him. The mistakes that they made during their captaincy, they are going to not let him repeat it,” he said on Cricbuzz.
“I believe a number of the boxes are ticked” – Shubman Gill
“Also, when you may have so many good players, the pressure of captaincy reduces a bit. When you may have the primary pacer and spinner,you only must bring them on, and they’re going to do their job. So, that is the luxurious you may have in Team India, because now we have top, top players. Bring any bowler at any point of time, they are going to deliver,” he further added.
Nevertheless, Team India were at their dominant best within the ODI series, securing a convincing win across all three matches against Afghanistan. The team were capable of test their bench strength, because the newcomers made a solid first impression, amongst other facets as well.
“Loads of them definitely. I believe a number of the boxes are ticked. We spoke about keeping the intensity in the center overs and a few of the things that we also spoke about was how can we keep creating those opportunities in the center overs as a bowling unit and as a batting unit, how can we keep pushing for the additional runs in the center overs. And I believe a number of those boxes were ticked,” Shubman Gill said throughout the post-match presentation.
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