He`s got a good brain for the game: Gary Kirsten on Shubman Gill

Former head coach Gary Kirsten has backed Team India`s new Test captain Shubman Gill by saying that he is a smart cricketer.

“I think Shubman is going to be a great leader. He`s a smart cricketer — he`s got a good brain for the game and understands his game. He`s very talented and a nice human being, which I think is really important,” Kirsten told `JioHotstar.`

Further speaking, Gary Kirsten said that Gill has all the qualities to become a good leader.

“When you come into these leadership positions, you`re going to be put under pressure, and your leadership will be tested. For any young leader, your ability to learn how to lead, improve, and grow is constantly under scrutiny. But I believe he has all the raw materials to become a really good leader,” he added.

The former coach was nothing short of praise for the 25-year-old. He said that Gill is very organised and sets a great example for other players.

“The one thing I really like about Shubman is that he walks the talk. He`s very organised, very diligent with his training and preparation, and that sets a great example for other players. I think he`s primed to take on the international stage by storm,” the South African batting great said.

One of the main concerns for India will be the feature of its lead pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. He is advised not to play in consecutive Test matches due to his workload management.

The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord`s and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).

Ind vs Eng Test series: Squads

India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.

England: Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

(With PTI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day