On Thursday, November 13, Shubman Gill, the Indian Test captain, addressed the press conference on the eve of the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa. The 26-year-old talked about how
it is going to be a “very big honour” for him to captain Team India in a Test match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where he made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while comparing it with his home ground, the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali, Punjab.
Notably, in his first Test series as the Indian skipper, Shubman Gill managed to earn a 2-2 draw against England after the completion of the five matches, to start his leadership journey on a good note. While speaking to the media, Shubman Gill gave his take on his association and the return of Test cricket to the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in years and said, “I cherish a lot of memories here. My IPL career started here and this is one ground whenever I come here, I definitely feel like how I feel in the PCA Stadium (Shubman Gill’s home ground) when we are playing in Punjab. It’s a similar feeling whenever I am coming here.”
“We are playing a (Test) match here after six years. I think the last Test we played here was the Pink Ball Test match. I wasn’t the part of the Test match but I was watching it from the outside. I was the part of the squad so my first Test match here in Eden Gardens and a very big honour for me to be able to lead my country here,” Shubman Gill added. In the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, the next challenge for him and his team is defending champions South Africa just a year after Rohit Sharma-led side lost the previous home Test series 3-0.
It's difficult for players like Shami bhai to miss out: Shubman Gill
Apart from that, Shubman Gill answered the question surrounding veteran pacer Mohammed Shami’s omission from the Test squad despite taking part in the recent round of matches for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. He was quoted as saying, as per Times of India, “Not many bowlers are of his quality. But the ones playing have done a terrific job. Sometimes it's difficult for players like Shami bhai to miss out. The selectors will be able to give you a better answer to that.”
The Indian Test captain also alluded to his workload after being a regular part of the team in all formats of the game in the last couple of months. He remarked, “I am still trying to figure out how to manage it. Starting from the Asia Cup, we've been playing kind of back-to-back, travelling to different countries, switching between formats within four or five days. The challenge is definitely more mental than physical.”
