Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has heaped praise on India’s current Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, calling the 26-year-old “a perfect captain” and commending his exceptional batting form ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, starting Friday.
Speaking at an event, Ganguly lauded Gill’s leadership during India’s tour of England, emphasizing how impressive it was for a young player to captain in such challenging conditions. He described Gill as an outstanding all-format cricketer with a bright future ahead.
“Shubman Gill is a fantastic batter and a perfect captain. He captained India remarkably in England. Leading in those conditions at such a young age is not easy. He’s a perfect captain and will continue to do well for India. My best wishes to him — he’s an all-format player and a fantastic one,” Ganguly said.
In his debut series as Test captain, Gill led India to a 2-2 draw against a full-strength England side, amassing 754 runs in five Tests, including four centuries — the most by any batter in an India-England series. He also broke Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record of 732 runs, setting a new benchmark for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a Test series.
Following the England tour, Gill guided India to a 2-0 home series win against the West Indies, registering another century to mark his first series victory as skipper.
Under his leadership, India have made a strong start in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle, winning four out of seven Tests, losing two, and drawing one. India currently sit third on the WTC points table with a PCT of 61.90, trailing only Australia and Sri Lanka.
India will next resume their WTC campaign against South Africa on November 14, with the first Test to be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Proteas, winners of the previous WTC cycle, come into the contest after drawing their recent series against Pakistan 1-1.
