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“Not Only Gill Did Bat…”: Root Labels India Test Captain A Modern Great Alongside Kohli, Smith

Poulomi Chakraborty

Joe Root Praises Shubman Gill (Source: @kohli_goat/x.com, @LoyalSachinFan/x.com)Joe Root Praises Shubman Gill (Source: @kohli_goat/x.com, @LoyalSachinFan/x.com)

Standing on a crucial phase of a big transformation, Shubman Gill was handed over Team India’s Test captaincy, and his bat spoke the rest. Silencing all doubts, he delivered his best performance in the red-ball format against England as the side ended the series on a draw.

After that, Gill received heartfelt praises from all over the world, but compliments from rivals hit different. On a recent podcast, veteran English batter Joe Root lauded the Indian Test skipper, applauding his leadership and captaincy skills.

Root’s Heartfelt Praise For Shubman Gill

After Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin’s Test retirements, making a champion team and choosing a perfect successor of the Hitman was a big challenge for the team management, and they took the right call. As Shubman Gill filled in Rohit Sharma’s shoes in the longest format, questions were raised about his stats, but the newest Test skipper silenced all his critics.

Shubman Gill finished as the leading run-scorer of the five-Test series against England, drawing admiration even from rivals. In a recent episode of The Stick To Cricket podcast, veteran English batter Joe Root hailed him as a modern great alongside Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.

“Gill, I think he is gonna be a very, very good player,” Root said.

Root Tips His Hat To Gill, The Skipper

Captaining in overseas conditions, such as England, is never easy, but Shubman Gill showed how determination, skill, and grit can change the story. Starting the series with a hundred, he ended up being the highest run scorer with 754 runs, and Team India ended the series on a dramatic draw. While his batting left the world in awe, Gill’s leadership in his debut Test series as captain earned special praise from Joe Root.

“For Shubman Gill, first series as Captain - not only he did bat well, he led pretty well as well,” Root added.

After starting his Test captaincy career on high, Gill has two big home Test assignments against West Indies and South Africa. With the new WTC 2025-27 cycle underway, Gill and his men will be eager to turn home advantage into early success.