It’s Day Five of the Gabba Test. You already know which one. Pat Cummins has just bowled an over where five of the six balls were bouncers. Shubman Gill has ducked and weaved and kept them at bay without breaking a sweat. The ball is now in the hands of Mitchell Starc. He attempts to keep up the short-ball tactic, but Gill has decided he’s seen enough. The first bouncer is deposited over the square leg boundary, pulled with the sort of nonchalance that only the very best can display. The next ball is an upper cut over the slips to the third man boundary for four. Starc, perhaps indignantly, decides on a third short ball in a row. Gill pulls it along the ground through midwicket for another breezy boundary.

India are still way behind the target, but the way this 21-year old - playing in only his third Test - is batting, it seems like India are going to get home at a canter. Gill is dismissed soon after, but the start he has provided gives Cheteshwar Pujara the room to grind and gives Rishabh Pant the freedom to attack. India go on to complete unquestionably one of their most outstanding Test victories ever. Gill’s 91 is the top score for India in the match. It’s also the announcement of India’s next batting superstar.

In the years since that incredible knock, Gill's cricketing career has seen a remarkable rise. Having established himself as a mainstay in ODIs and a first-choice Test player, and with two of India’s senior stalwarts in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli calling time on their T20I careers, it was inevitable that Gill would be looked at as one of India’s few all-format players.

The BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar gave Gill a ringing endorsement: "Shubman is the guy. We feel he is a three-format player firstly, and he has shown quality over the last year or so. He's shown some decent leadership qualities."

Gill is now India’s vice captain in ODIs and T20Is. It is a role Gill is no stranger to. He led us with distinction in IPL 2024. A few close games and two washouts prevented us from making it to the playoffs, but Gill’s guile and intensity was there for all to see. 

The T20I tour of Zimbabwe gave us a first look at Gill as captain of India. After starting the series with a loss, India - led by Gill - roared back in remarkable fashion. India bounced back from losing the first game to win the series 4-1. Gill's own performance was stellar; he finished as the highest run-scorer for India in the series, with 170 runs at a strike rate of 125.93 and an average of 42.50. He scored two brilliant fifties in the third and fourth T20Is, playing crucial roles in India's victories in those games. As captain, he marshalled his troops with the calmness and conviction that belied his relative inexperience at the helm.

His appointment has been praised by India’s former batting coach, Vikram Rathour who said, “I feel captaincy brought the best out of Virat and Rohit and I feel it will do the same for Shubman. Although he is not yet the captain, being in the leadership group will bring the best out of him as well. This I am very sure of. When you are in that role, leading others, it gives you that extra bit of responsibility, which is good and I think is great for a young kid like Shubman, who one day might lead India in all three formats."

Our coach Ashish Nehra is also pleased with Gill’s elevation to vice-captain: “The best thing has been the appointment of Shubman Gill as India's vice-captain. This means that you are planning and looking ahead with him. Everything happens for the first time. He is a work in progress. He is just 24 years old. He will get better with more matches. He has the desire to play all the formats and learn."

With his obvious talent and steadfast dedication, Gill is poised to achieve even greater heights in the years to come - both with the bat and as the future captain of the Indian cricket team.