He needs to tell his players what is expected of them and lay out a game plan for them to follow
Greg Chappell19-Jul-2025Indian tech founder Narayana Murthy says that “clarity of thought and strength of purpose are the essence of leadership”.The best teams aren’t built on talent alone. They are shaped by mindset, unity, and standards that are upheld every day – on and off it.Great teams bat in partnerships. They bowl in partnerships. And they hold each other to high standards – not just technically, but mentally. Great teams are hard to score against because they are relentless in the field; they build pressure with their actions, not their words.The same applies to captains. The best captains don’t just set fields or tinker with bowling changes. They define a mindset. They insist on standards. They give players clarity about their roles and the confidence to execute them. And above all, they support their team – not just when things go well, but especially when things go wrong.As India prepare for the final two Tests of their series in England, the spotlight now shines firmly on their 25-year-old captain Shubman Gill. A bright young talent, he has shown greatness with the bat and glimpses of leadership potential, but this moment will define his trajectory as a Test captain. It’s not an easy environment in which to grow, but it’s the one he’s in – and the stakes couldn’t be higher.After three gripping contests, England lead the five-Test series 2-1. Yet, if you’d watched the bulk of play across those matches without seeing the scorecard, you might assume India were on top. At Headingley, they batted with authority for long periods but couldn’t translate that superiority into a match-winning position.Related
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Then came the stirring win at Edgbaston – a proper team performance that, despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, showcased what this Indian team can be when it fires in unison. Gill was outstanding. Rishabh Pant played with freedom and purpose. The bowlers were clinical. Momentum seemed to shift India’s way.But the Lord’s Test reopened old wounds. Bumrah returned and bowled beautifully in the first innings, etching his name onto the honours board. Jofra Archer, back after a long layoff, gave England a significant boost. And yet, despite holding strong positions, India faltered again–especially with the bat, where only Rahul, Pant and Ravindra Jadeja stood tall.The Lord’s Test also provided a telling moment with the way Jadeja was managed late in the match. Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?The truth is, Jadeja was the only recognised batter left. If India were to chase down the target, he had to take calculated risks. His job wasn’t to leave balls and collect singles – it was to win the match. That clarity should have come from the dressing room, from the captain. He needed to be told directly: “You are the man who has to get this done. The tail’s job is to hang in there with you, but you must go for the win.”We saw exactly that from England’s Ben Stokes against Australia in Leeds in 2019. In a similar situation, he backed himself and produced one of the best innings of the past 50 years. Importantly, Stokes played that innings knowing that, succeed or fail, his team and leadership would have his back. That’s the mindset that needs to be fostered in any great team.
The Old Trafford Test is shaping to be the biggest examination yet for Gill. He must bring composure, clarity, and confidence to a side that desperately needs it. And he must do it now.
And this is where Gill’s leadership challenge becomes very real. He must start setting those expectations – clearly, proactively, and consistently.Gill must define what sort of team he wants India to be. The captain sets the tone – not just with words, but with actions, clarity of purpose, and visible standards. That means demanding discipline in the field. India cannot afford to slip back into being a poor fielding side. The best teams are superb in the field. They don’t give easy runs. They don’t drop chances.The selectors and Gill must pick and stick. He must identify the core group of players he trusts, lay out a clear game plan, and communicate individual roles within it. Every player should know what is expected of them and where they fit in. Too often, in teams that struggle, players are left to work it out for themselves. That can’t be left to chance at this level.Great captains are great communicators. Gill must become one – and quickly. Whether it’s at training, in the middle or in the dressing room during a break – clear, calm communication is essential. His bat can’t always do the talking. He must learn to speak in a way that aligns the group, encourages belief, and creates trust.He also needs to enunciate the right approach. Batters must be told to play positively and bat in partnerships. If a batter gets a start, it is critical to go on and get a big score. Collapses come when players who are set decide that they don’t want to keep working that hard. Bowlers must know that it’s not just about taking wickets but about building pressure: bowling good balls, good overs, and good spells. Pressure creates mistakes. It’s not magic, it’s method.Jasprit Bumrah: will he or won’t he, that is not the question•Getty ImagesEngland have a massive advantage in this department. Stokes has captained his country in 36 Tests and has built a team with a clear identity. The players back each other. They know what’s expected. There’s a shared sense of purpose that has pulled them through tough moments in this series. Players know that a few failures won’t be terminal.India, by contrast, have immense talent but haven’t quite forged that same level of trust and cohesion. It’s not entirely surprising. India are a different environment, where individual competition is fierce and survival at every level requires self-interest. But the job for the captain, especially in such a set-up, is to build unity and a team-first culture that subjugates the individual instinct.The Old Trafford Test is shaping to be the biggest examination yet for Gill – not just as a batter, but as a leader. He’s learning on the job, but the timeline is not generous. He must bring composure, clarity, and confidence to a side that desperately needs it. And he must do it now.That doesn’t mean he can’t show emotion. In fact, his passion on the field at Lord’s was good to see. But actions like getting into Zak Crawley’s face over time-wasting only matter if they are backed up by the hard work done behind the scenes. A captain earns the right to be loud when he’s already done the quiet work of planning, uniting, and inspiring his group.And a word on Bumrah: the obsession with whether he plays or doesn’t is missing the point. India have won plenty of Tests without him recently. The key is not individual brilliance, it’s collective performance. Teams win when everyone does their job. When the captain makes sure each player is clear, confident, and committed to the plan. That’s the formula.If Gill wants to become a great Test captain, this is his moment to stamp his authority. Not just with the bat, but with his leadership. Set the standard. Demand it of others. Pick your team. Back them. And make sure every man knows what is expected and hold them to it.Because in the end, cricket isn’t about heroes. It’s about partnerships. It’s about teams. And it’s about captains who bring the best out of those around them.If Gill can lead with clarity of thought and strength of purpose, he won’t just shape this series, he’ll shape the future of Indian cricket.
