The Indian cricket team led by Shubman Gill was quite a different sight in the one-day match against Australia on Sunday, October 19 at Optus Stadium, Perth. However, a 7-wicket defeat was recorded as a result of rain interruptions. India played first and could score only 136 for 9 in 26 overs. They lost the match as per the DLS method, the target for the chasing team was 131. With this defeat, Gill has joined a very exclusive group of captains who lost their first game in all three formats of men's international cricket.
Shubman Gill joins an unwanted list of captains
Shubman Gill was only the second Indian after Virat Kohli to lose his first Test, ODI, and T20I as captain. Gill had made his T20I captaincy debut against Zimbabwe on July 6, 2024, India lost by 13 runs at Harare Sports Club. India played against England at Headingley, Leeds, where they failed to defend 371 and lost by five wickets. So, Gill's Test captaincy debut was just as unsuccessful.
Virat Kohli’s record is very similar to Gill’s, as he also lost his first matches as India captain in all three formats. His ODI debut was against Sri Lanka in Kingston (161-run defeat), Test debut at Adelaide against Australia (48-run defeat), and first T20I against England at Green Park, Kanpur (7-wicket defeat).
Indian captains, on the other hand, some of them were able to enjoy winning debuts. Virender Sehwag was the first Indian to win his first match in all three formats, and Ajinkya Rahane also won his debut matches in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma had mixed fortunes; Dhoni won his first Test and T20I but lost his first ODI, whereas Rohit lost his first ODI but won in the other formats.
Gill entering this record is a testament to how difficult it is to lead India in all three formats and how tough the opposition was in his first outings. Gill has the chance to make mistakes, learn from them, and create a better record of captaincy in the next matches despite the initial setbacks.
