India's new test captain Gill relishes 'exciting' challenge

India's new test captain Shubman Gill said on Sunday that his mantra is "leading by example" and that he relishes the challenge of starting the new role in an all-important tour of England.

The 25-year-old Gill was named Rohit Sharma's successor on Saturday, when the selectors announced the team for the five-test series in England beginning 20 June.

"To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour... it's a big responsibility," Gill said in a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"I'm looking forward to this exciting opportunity and I think the upcoming series in England is going to be a very exciting one," he added.

"I believe in leading by example – not just by performance, but, I think, off the field by discipline and hard work."

Gill will take charge of a team in transition after the shock retirements of stalwarts Rohit and Virat Kohli – who resigned within days of each other this month.

"As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in, but also when to give space to the players," he said.

"Because everyone has... had a different life and grown up differently, everyone has a different personality.

"A good leader should always be able to know what makes his players to be able to have the best performance."

'GOOD SELECTION'

Gill has led Gujarat Titans into the playoffs of the ongoing Indian Premier League T20 tournament.

A top-order batter with a wide range of shots, Gill was identified as a batting successor to Kohli after impressing on his test debut in Melbourne, where he opened and made 45 and an unbeaten 35 as India beat Australia by eight wickets.

He has watched Kohli as batter and captain from close quarters before he became deputy to Rohit in the ODI format.

Kohli was "always very aggressive, always wanting to lead from the front with hunger and passion", Gill said.

Rohit was "also someone who was always very attacking on the field", but was also "very calm and tactically always very present", and was good at being "communicative to the players" telling them what he wants.

Those are the "qualities that I learned from them", he said.

Gill has played 32 tests, scoring 1 893 runs at an average of 35.05 with five hundreds.

Some have raised question marks over his record outside India, but former captain Sunil Gavaskar said a young Gill could serve as a long-term choice.

"It's a good selection, because we're looking to the future," Gavaskar told TV channel India Today.

"Yes, you might argue that he has only played 30-odd tests," he added.

"But several Indian captains had even fewer matches under their belts before being handed the reins – and many went on to enjoy long tenures."