Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer Colonel Arvinder Singh has thrown his weight behind Shubman Gill’s leadership in ODIs, urging patience and describing the young batter’s recent struggles in T20Is as nothing more than a hiccup in his cricketing journey.

Gill enjoyed a promising start to his captaincy career in Test cricket, leading India to a hard-fought 2-2 series draw against England last year while scoring a remarkable 754 runs, including four centuries. However, the same consistency has eluded him in white-ball formats, both as a batter and as a leader.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the third edition of the Gujarat Titans’ Junior Titans’ programme, Arvinder stressed that it was far too early to judge Gill’s captaincy credentials in ODIs.

“It is very early days to start passing judgment on his credibility as a captain. We need to give him more time. Just last year, he captained the side in England when many felt the team was weak, yet the series ended in a draw. His captaincy played a significant role in that outcome,” Arvinder said.

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He further praised Gill for striking the right balance between calmness and aggression and highlighted the respect he commands within the dressing room.

“A captain’s biggest strength is earning the respect of his peers, whether seniors or juniors. There is absolutely no doubt that Shubman has that respect. Nobody questions that aspect. That’s why it is too early to judge him,” he added.

Under Gill’s ODI captaincy, India have suffered two 1-2 series defeats against Australia away from home and against New Zealand at home, the latter being the Kiwis’ first-ever ODI series win in India. With the bat, Gill has scored 178 runs in six innings at an average of 29.66 and a strike rate of over 91, failing to make a major impact.

His struggles have also extended to T20Is, where he has managed just 291 runs in 15 innings at an average below 25 and without a single fifty. This dip in form resulted in Gill being left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad, with Ishan Kishan earning selection following a strong domestic season.

Despite this, Arvinder remains confident that Gill will bounce back strongly, especially in the IPL. He pointed to Gill’s consistency for Gujarat Titans, where the opener has never scored fewer than 400 runs in a season and finished among the top five run-getters last year with 650 runs.

“He has already won an Orange Cap and had the second-best IPL season ever behind Virat Kohli’s 2023 run. These phases happen in a sportsperson’s career. They are temporary setbacks, nothing more,” Arvinder said.

Calling Gill “mentally very strong and far more mature than his age,” Arvinder expressed confidence that the batter will silence critics with his performances soon.

The GT COO also spoke about the franchise’s formidable pace bowling unit, which has been further strengthened by the addition of Ashok Sharma, joint-highest wicket-taker in SMAT 2025–26, and England pacer Luke Wood. With the likes of Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder and Gurnoor Brar already in the squad, Arvinder expressed complete faith in the bowling attack.

“There is no reason to doubt our fast-bowling resources. The talent and depth are only getting stronger,” he said.

Arvinder also touched upon New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips, stating that while selection decisions rest with the captain and coaching staff, the franchise remains committed to backing its players and prioritising team balance over individual names.