India’s newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill added that the Indian team will miss the experience of the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who announced their retirement before the away series against England. However, he saw it as an opportunity for others to step up as well. Gill also stated that he would adopt Rohit Sharma’s captaincy model, where there will be clear communication and a sense of security among players as well.

Speaking to the media ahead of the team’s departure for the five-Test series in England, Gill, said, “Pressure is always there (for the Indian players), in all tours and it will not be any different this time. Definitely we will miss Virat and Rohit. They have played for a long time and they are difficult to fill.”

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“My style of captaincy will be my own; it will develop with experience. But like Rohit, I will want to make the players feel safe, comfort them, and build strong bonds. Players need to feel secure…only then can they give 100 per cent,” Gill said.

However, Gill also agreed that England’s Bazball style of play could allow India to beat Ben Stokes’ team as well. He also joined on the honour of leading the Indian Test team.

“When I came to know about the Test captaincy, I was overwhelmed by the honour and the opportunity. It is a big responsibility, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” When he was asked about the team’s batting combination, he said, “We have time to decide on the batting order. We have time.”

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Meanwhile, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir did not rule out calling Shreyas Iyer for the tour, considering the form he has shown in the IPL as well.

“Any player can be called if he is in form. We could only pick 18 players,” he replied to a question about Iyer.