IND vs ENG | Time for younger guys to step up for India, asserts ABD ahead of England tour
South African great AB de Villiers has publicly backed Shubman Gill after he was named India's Test captain, stating the time has come for Indian cricket to embrace the youth. The former Proteas acknowledged the IPL's role in Gill's ascension but maintained England would be a difficult challenge.
India are all set to take on England in a marquee five-match Test series, beginning in Leeds on June 20, to kickstart a new World Test Championship cycle. The visitors will feature a new-look XI, with former skippers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both hanging up their boots as did off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, while Mohammed Shami did not recover in time to be a part of the pace attack. The host of changes has led to Shubman Gill's ascension as Test captain, despite the 25-year-old himself battling for a spot in the team till their last tour Down Under and was even dropped for a Test in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has come out in support of the decision, during a training session with the Mumbai wheelchair cricket team at Islam Gymkhana.
"It is time for the younger guys to step up. Shubman Gill is taking on the responsibility," de Villiers was quoted saying.
Despite limited leadership experience in red-ball cricket, Gill has emerged as an acclaimed leader over the past two years after being placed at the helm of Gujarat Titans. While the franchies just missed out on the playoffs in 2024, they ended up third in the table this year albeit a loss to Mumbai Indians in the eliminator ended their journey early. AB was quick to credit the Indian Premier League, where he himself cemented his status as a generational great, for its ability to groom cricketers and gave the example of Vaibhav Suryavanshi who became the league's youngest centurion for Rajasthan Royals at 14-years-old.
"There is a lot of talent in India, and largely the credit goes to IPL for that. We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year," said de Villiers.
The last time India visited England, they were up 2-1 after four Tests when COVID protocols led to an abrupt end to the tour. The fifth and final encounter was eventually played in 2023, where a dominant fourth-innings chase by the hosts kept the visitors waiting for their first series win in the country since 2007. AB himself toured England with the Proteas Test team on two occassions in 2008 and 2012, and ended up on the winning side both times. Nevertheless, the veteran expressed caution at the scale of challenge waiting for the subcontinental team.
"It will be a tough test against England," AB concluded.
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