Jos Buttler claims that under Shubman Gill’s guidance, India’s first series as Test captain against England will combine the “intensity” of Virat Kohli with the “more laid-back” approach of Rohit Sharma.
With both players collecting more than 500 runs, Buttler, who played for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in this year’s IPL under Gill’s captaincy, helped the team advance to the playoffs. Buttler stated that Gill will eventually “be his own man” while incorporating the greatest traits of his two well-known predecessors in an interview with Stuart Broad for his new podcast, For the Love of Cricket.
“He’s a really impressive player and an impressive young man,” Buttler said. “He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but on the field, he’s got a bit of fight about him—a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit.”
Buttler elaborated on that comparison: “Kohli was that real aggressive character, really transformed the Indian team, in your face, up for the contest. Rohit’s a bit on the other side—more laid back, very cool, calm, collected—but still has that fight. From my time with Shubman so far, I feel like he sits in the middle. He’s obviously learned from both of those guys but he’ll very much be his own man.”
Buttler also talked on the immense strain and attention that comes with being India’s captain, having spent more time in India than any other England player of his generation. He cautioned that one of Gill’s greatest challenges will be to maintain his batting consistency despite the demands of captaincy, a task Buttler found difficult in the latter stages of his own white-ball leadership.
“He talked about compartmentalising batting and captaining—so when he’s batting, he just wants to be a batter, and then work on his captaincy separately,” Buttler said. “When you’re doing such a massive job like captaining the Indian team, he’ll need to do that well and have good support around him.”
Buttler highlighted the staggering levels of fame involved: “I don’t think we can fully grasp the level of interest and stardom these players have. You see it in the IPL, but actually living it is another thing entirely. I think they say the Indian Test captain is like the third or fourth-most influential person in India, behind the Prime Minister etc.—you’re truly put on a pedestal.”
He added: “It’s going to be a huge job. He’s already captained two IPL seasons, which is high-pressure in itself, and he’s kind of the prince. Kohli is the king, Shubman is the prince—that’s the narrative they spin. He’s the coming man… and stepping into that No. 4 spot, those are big shoes to fill. Behind Virat, and Sachin Tendulkar before him, it’s a massive role.”
India’s tour of England kicks off with the first Test in Leeds on June 20. It will be Gill’s first series a captain with no veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma handling the batting upfront or giving him wise tips! Only time will tell if Gill can handle the Bazball or not.
