NEW DELHI: Head coach Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on young skipper Shubman Gill, saying he has "already passed his toughest test as captain in England" and that no one handed him any favours in being appointed captain across two formats.
Turning 44 on Tuesday, Gambhir couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift than India's 2-0 series sweep of the West Indies, marking Gill's first home series as captain.
When asked how he manages the new skipper as a coach, Gambhir responded without hesitation.
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"(By) just allowing him to be himself. I think no one has done him a favour by appointing him the Test captain or (the) one-day captain. I think he deserves every bit of it," Gambhir said.
"I think he's worked hard. He has already passed his toughest test as captain -- that was in England, five Tests away from home in tough conditions against a quality team."
Gambhir is currently focused on the present and isn't concerned about whether India will make it to the 2027 World Test Championship final.
"For me, I am not looking ahead at what is going to happen in the World Test Championship final in 2027. That is still a long, long way away. I think, staying in the present is very important. It was important for us to win this series at home. More importantly, I think we have got a very busy schedule. Hopefully, we can keep continuing from here."
Leading in a five-Test series over two months for his maiden captaincy assignment in England, it couldn't have got tougher for Gill, Gambhir asserted.
"I know it's tough for him. It was tough, and I've said it many times, that England was probably the toughest Test for him. Five Test matches over the course of two, two and a half months, against a quality England side. What more could he have faced?"
The way Gill has handled himself and how he has earned the respect of the dressing room is something that has impressed Gambhir.
"Sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important," Gambhir said.
There are two aspects to captaincy -- one where a person leads by example which Gill did with 754 runs and secondly saying the things that resonates with the dressing room.
"You've got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room. You do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things, and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than any other thing, not just the performances.
He's done phenomenally well, and so has the group."
Are you looking at getting him a mental conditioning coach or trainer to support him?
For one of the rarest instances, head coach Gambhir laughed and cracked a joke and that too on himself.
"First and foremost, I need one," Gambhir quipped.
"When the team wins, everyone is in a good space but when it doesn't win, I need to keep them in a good space," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
