"Leadership skills are not learned in a classroom" - GT COO opens up on Shubman Gill's captaincy ahead of IPL 2025 

Gujarat Titans (GT) chief operating officer Arvinder Singh recently spoke about the franchise's decision to appoint Shubman Gill as their new skipper ahead of the last Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He opined that while the opening batter didn't have much captaincy experience, they gave him a chance to hone his leadership skills on the job.

He pointed out that there were similar discussions when GT made Hardik Pandya their first captain ahead of their maiden appearance in the league in 2022. Suggesting that leadership skills can't be learned in classrooms, Singh said during an interview with News 18 Cricket Next:

"Let me take you back to 2022 when Hardik was announced as the captain. At that time, there were similar discussions—he had never captained before, people questioned his fitness, and there were many doubts. But we believed he was the right man for the job, and he proved it.

"The same goes for Shubman. He is an upcoming young player who has already showcased his cricketing credentials. Leadership skills are not learned in a classroom but on the field. He has a strong support system around him, which helped him last year and will continue to do so."

It is worth mentioning that GT thrived under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, securing a title win and a runners-up finish in their first two seasons. However, the all-rounder parted ways with the side to join his old franchise Mumbai Indias (MI).

Following his exit, the Gujarat think tank handed the key leadership role to Shubman Gill ahead of IPL 2024. Shedding light on the 25-year-old's captaincy style, Singh stated that the youngster is open to feedback and is not very rigid. He added:

"The beauty of Shubman is that he listens. He is not rigid in his approach—he is open to learning and improving. That is the essence of GT—the collective will of the team. It’s not about one player. If Shubman gets out, the team doesn’t panic. Someone else steps up. We’ve seen that in the past. Players who were once written off have delivered championships or near-championships for GT. That is because of the environment we create—a space where players are encouraged to focus on playing their best cricket while we handle the rest."

Shubman Gill's first season as GT captain was a learning curve for him. It was a tough season for the 2022 champions as they finished eighth in the points table with five wins from 14 outings.

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"The glimpses of his leadership that we saw convinced us to continue backing him as a captain" - Arvinder Singh backs Shubman Gill to succeed as GT captain

Arvinder Singh added that captaining an IPL team is a great opportunity for Shubman Gill. He emphasized that despite the team's underwhelming last season, the team management is confident in the right-handed batter's leadership abilities.

He stated in the aforementioned interview:

"From hiseperspective, it’s a wonderful platform where he has a significant number of matches, players, and different conditions to deal with. He plays in seven different places apart from his home state. So, for him, it’s a huge opportunity. His credentials are evident in what he has shown so far, even last year. We may not have had a great season, but the glimpses of his leadership that we saw convinced us to continue backing him as a captain."

Highlighting that his experience of captaining GT last year and his current role as Team India's ODI vice-captain will benefit Shubman Gill, Singh added:

"We are confident that the experience he gained last year, along with his current role as vice-captain of the Indian team in the 50-over format, will benefit him. He is in good form, as you can see, and hopefully, he will continue that momentum through the Champions Trophy, which is equally important. He is becoming a key player, not just for GT but also for Team India."

The Shubman Gill-led side will open their IPL 2025 campaign on March 25. They will take on the Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in their opening encounter.