Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has backed Shubman Gill to become India's next all-format captain after Rohit Sharma's retirement.
Gill was appointed as the vice-captain for both the ODIs and T20Is in the India's ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. Prior to this series, he had made his debut as India captain in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.
There are also reports that BCCI could favour Gill for the vice-captaincy role in upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, over the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul.
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Will Shubman Gill become India's next captain in T20Is, ODIs and Test cricket?
R Sridhar was speaking to the Hindustan times, when he discussed about candidates for the future leadership role in the Indian cricket team.
He singled out the name of Shubman Gill, calling him an apprentice to the current India captain Rohit Sharma and suggesting that the youngster will take over the national team captaincy after the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
"Shubman Gill for me is an all-format player and I think he would be the apprentice to captain Rohit Sharma in Test matches and ODIs. I am sure India will see him as the captain post 2027 World Cup in all formats," Sridhar told HT.
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Captaincy is something I definitely enjoy: Shubman Gill
Under Gill's captaincy, India triumphed Zimbabwe with a 4-1 series victory at Harare. Following the T20I series, Gill said that he enjoyed the challenges involved with captaining a team.
"It is something that I definitely enjoy. I think it brings out the best in me when I am out there because I look to be involved in the game. It is something that really brings out the side of me which I enjoy being on the field," Gill said when asked about captaining India.
"There was pressure, I wouldn't say extra pressure but obviously even when you are playing just as a batter when you don't perform there is a certain kind of pressure that comes along with it."
"But I think that's the fun part of it. You kind of feel so many different emotions. Pressure is one of them. And when you get out of that, the satisfaction that you feel is immense."
He also said that he was played most of his India career under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, so he looks up to the latter's qualities as a leader.
"I have played the most under Rohit bhai, so he is someone who I look up to and really enjoy playing under," he noted.
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