"Shubman Gill is a work in progress"- Ashish Nehra's stone cold verdict on India vice-captain

Former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra has evaluated Shubman Gill's captaincy and his leadership qualities. Gill was recently appointed India's vice-captain in the T20Is and the ODIs for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the team's vice-captain in both formats suggests that the selectors are looking at him as India's future captain. But is Gill ready for such a huge responsibility?

His IPL team Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra opened up about his qualities as a captain. Gill is the captain of Gujarat Titans and led the team in IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya left the franchise to join Mumbai Indians.

Also read: "Surprising that Hardik Pandya was India's vice-captain in T20 World Cup"- Ashish Nehra fires shots at his former captain

Ashish Nehra evaluates Shubman Gill's leadership qualities

While speaking to Sports Today, Ashish Nehra discussed Shubman Gill as the captain of the side. Nehra mentioned that the selectors are looking at Gill as a future captain, which is the reason they have invested in him.

"The best thing has been the appointment of Shubman Gill as India's vice-captain in all the formats. This means that you are planning and looking ahead with him," Nehra opined.

"Everything happens for the first time. He is a work in progress (when asked about having Shubman Gill in a leadership role). He is just 24 years old. He will get better with more matches. He has the desire to play all the formats and learn," Nehra said

He is not someone who thinks that whatever he is doing is right. He speaks with the youngsters as well as the experienced players. He likes to have that discussion and learn which is a great quality," the former India pacer added.

Suryakyumar Yadav appointed India's new T20I captain

While Shubman Gill has been appointed vice-captain for both formats, Rohit Sharma will lead India in ODIs and Suryakumar Yadav will be starting his tenure as full-time India's captain in T20Is. Earlier, it was believed that Hardik Pandya would take up the captaincy of India's T20I team. But Hardik's constant injury issues forced the selectors to choose Suryakumar Yadav as the captain.

Shubman Gill was India's captain in the recently concluded tour of Zimbabwe, where India won the series 4-1. Despite losing the first game of the series, India showed the character to bounce back under Gill's leadership.

Shubman Gill was the highest-run-getter in the series against Zimbabwe with 170 runs in five matches. The opener was also in India's reserves list for the T20 World Cup 2024. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from T20Is, Gill is likely to get a good run at the top and he will be aiming to make the most of his chances.

Gill is already an established member of India's ODI squad. He has scored over 2000 runs in ODIs at an average of 61.37 and a strike rate of 103.46. He also impressed in India's last Test series against England at home.