Shubman Gill under huge pressure as he prepares to lead Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma? GT coach drops bomb

Former India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman and the current Gujarat Titans (GT) coach, Parthiv Patel, has revealed whether Shubman Gill will face any issues while leading Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in ODI cricket.

Parthiv Patel said that Shubman Gill would not have to put any extra effort to manage Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma because the former Indian skippers are quite mature and will provide the young Punjab star with good support.

I don't think Shubman Gill needs to put in his energies behind managing those senior players - Parthiv Patel

Rohit Sharma was recently sacked as the India ODI captain, and he is now set to play under the leadership of Shubman Gill for the first time in international cricket.

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Previously, Rohit played under the leadership of Virat Kohli before taking over the all-format captaincy. Also, the last captain under whom both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played together was MS Dhoni, which was almost a decade ago.

It will be a new kind of challenge for Rohit and Kohli to play under a 26-year-old, and Shubman Gill might also face the challenge of leading the senior duo.

Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel, who has shared dressing room with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as a player, and with Shubman Gill as a coach, has said that the legendary duo are not the kind of characters who will cause any trouble for the youngster.

"I don't think that it will be a problem because of the kind of characters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are. You look at Virat, he became captain when MS Dhoni was still playing. He knows what role a senior plays in grooming a new captain," Parthiv Patel said, as quoted by PTI.

"Same thing was there when Rohit became the captain. Yes, Virat wasn't his senior but nevertheless a former skipper. Obviously, they have gone through that phase and understand the decision, which is about betterment of Indian cricket, both of them always come across as mature. I don't think Shubman Gill needs to put in his energies behind managing those senior players."

Two years is a long time and especially if you see there aren't too many ODI games - Parthiv Patel

While talking about the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and whether they can participate in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, Parthiv Patel said that the remaining match-fit might be the biggest challenge for them because very few ODI matches are played in a year. He said:

"Two years is a long time and especially if you see there aren't too many ODI games. Like earlier times when there used to be 20-25 games a year, you get on a roll and before you know two years passed by.

"But it is a different challenge and we are also new to this kind of a challenge. The challenge is to keep themselves match-fit."

I would definitely feel that they should play Vijay Hazare Trophy - Parthiv Patel

Recently, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar issued a directive to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to make themselves available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy to remain in contention for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027.

Parthiv Patel has now made a statement along similar lines, urging Kohli and Rohit to feature in the domestic cricket competition. He said:

"I would definitely feel that they should play Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is not about setting an example like 'We have made Kohli and Rohit play Vijay Hazare'. That's not how I would like to think.

"Playing Hazare Trophy will help their own game and that in turn will help the Indian cricket team."

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