"We had made him captain on promise and hope" - Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill's century in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Shubman Gill for scoring a hundred in his first innings as Test skipper. He noted that the youngster didn't have a great Test record and was given the captaincy reins more on promise and hope.

Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 127 off 175 deliveries as India posted 359/3 on Day 1 (Friday, June 20) of the first Test against England in Leeds. The stylish batter was appointed the captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Tests and Jasprit Bumrah decided not to lead the side.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener praised Gill for scoring a terrific century after being given the leadership role despite his underwhelming Test numbers.

"Captain Gill and batter Gill, he became the fourth Indian to score a century on his captaincy debut. This was a phenomenal and outstanding job, of course, as it's difficult. All of us were discussing that Shubman, the captain, has to be helped by Shubman, the batter, and Shubman, the batter, hadn't been tested thus far," Chopra said (5:15). "If we see his numbers, his career average was 35, and he had an average of 25 outside Asia. So it wasn't good. We had made him captain on promise and hope, but will it be a good start, and will he have his time? We used to say king and prince, but the king wasn't there, and the prince had come," he added.

Shubman Gill had aggregated 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Tests before the series opener against England. Friday's knock was his first Test century outside Asia.

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"I recall Sourav's hundred at the Gabba" - Aakash Chopra on the significance of Shubman Gill's century in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Shubman Gill has struck 16 fours and a six during his unbeaten 127-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Shubman Gill's century was as significant as Sourav Ganguly's 144-run knock in the 2023 Brisbane Test against Australia.

"He batted extremely well. If I am not wrong, it was his fastest fifty in Test match cricket. He was playing at almost a run-a-ball. He batted dominatingly and right from the start. What's the significance of this knock? It was the first day of a huge Test series. I recall Sourav's hundred at the Gabba," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Gill's century will make him a better captain and help him earn his teammates' respect.

"Of course, it wasn't his (Ganguly's) first tour (as captain), but it was the first Test match. Scoring a hundred in the first Test match, playing a captain's knock, and taking the team to a commanding and dominating situation. After this, your decisions become stronger. After this, you don't demand but command respect. I feel he will go in that direction," Chopra observed.

Shubman Gill added 129 runs for the third wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) after KL Rahul (42 off 78) and Sai Sudharsan (0 off 4) were dismissed in successive overs. The Indian captain and Rishabh Pant (65* off 102) stitched together an unbroken 138-run fourth-wicket partnership after Jaiswal's dismissal.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer