New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) India captain Shubman Gill has thrown his full support behind young opener Sai Sudharsan, underlining the team’s faith in the youngster as a long-term fixture in the national side.
Despite an average in the early 20s across his first four Tests, Sudharsan has shown glimpses of his potential, including crucial innings in challenging conditions in England and India.
“Not every match everyone is going to score a hundred. You have to give young players more opportunities. We believe Sai is the man for us and someone who can play for India at No. 3 for a very long time,” Gill told reporters today on the eve of the second Test against West Indies here tomorrow.
Gill emphasised that players should be judged over a series of matches rather than isolated performances, highlighting the management’s commitment to nurturing young talent.
Gill himself is navigating one of the most demanding phases of his career, serving as India’s leader in all three formats – Test, ODI, and T20I. Appointed as ODI captain after leading the Test side and serving as T20I vice-captain, Gill acknowledged the physical and mental demands of continuous international cricket but said he is prepared to embrace the challenge in order to achieve success across formats.
“Physically, most of the time, I feel fine, but sometimes there is mental fatigue because there is obviously a certain expectation I have from myself. The challenge is to play all formats for India and succeed, and to win ICC titles. This is what I have to go through,” Gill said.
Speaking about the role of experienced players in the squad, Gill praised former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are expected to play a key role in the upcoming ODIs in Australia.
“The experience the two of them have is immense, and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India. We look at it from that perspective,” he said.
On the differences in leading teams across formats, Gill highlighted the unique demands of Test cricket.
“In Test matches, whenever a team wins, that team deserves to win because they played better cricket consistently over three, four, or five days. The challenge is to stay on top for five days in a Test match, which is more difficult than captaining in a T20 game,” he explained.
With India looking to consolidate its dominance over West Indies in Delhi and groom a new generation of players like Sudharsan, Gill’s leadership and vision signal a blend of experience and youth aimed at achieving long-term success in international cricket.
