India tour of England: Ricky Ponting highlights captaincy challenge for Shubman Gill; says ‘will not be easy for him’ | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Australian legend Ricky Ponting has supplied a frank evaluation of Shubman Gill’s readiness for the challenges of Test captaincy, urging the younger Indian skipper to contemplate batting at No. 4 through the upcoming five-Test sequence in England beginning June 20. Ponting, who coached the Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 closing, believes the added accountability of management might have an effect on Gill’s batting, which nonetheless requires refinement for the red-ball format.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“His white-ball form has been incredibly good,” Ponting advised PTI. “But he’s got a little bit of work to do on his Test match batting. And that’s never easy when you’re a new captain — to have to worry about your batting to the degree that he’s going to have to. It won’t be easy for him.”Gill, who began as an opener and moved to No. 3, is predicted to inherit Virat Kohli’s vacant No. 4 slot. Ponting sees that as a strategic transfer that might ease the burden throughout Gill’s early captaincy days.

“If they go with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan as openers, they need someone more experienced at No. 3 — maybe KL Rahul or Karun Nair. That would allow Shubman to bat at four,” Ponting defined. “Once you grow into it, then you can move yourself back up to No. 3.”Despite considerations, Ponting stays assured about Gill’s long-term management prospects.“He just seems the sort of guy that the extra responsibility wouldn’t faze too much. He’s got a really level head on his shoulders. He’s someone who’s going to be around Indian cricket for another 10 years.”Ponting, one of cricket’s best captains, additionally dissected Gill’s flaws in Test cricket — notably his tendency to play with arduous fingers and his occasional lapses in focus.

“I think it’s more his mental application,” mentioned Ponting. “There’s nothing wrong technically. But sometimes, he might get ahead of himself or a little lazy during an innings. You’ve got to be 100% committed for every ball, for six or seven hours of the day. That’s the challenge for Shubman.”Drawing comparisons with Virender Sehwag, Ponting mentioned, “Some great Test players didn’t have great defensive games. But if you’re in control of your strokeplay, that’s less of a worry. Defence is important, but mindset matters more.”