New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) As India begin a new chapter in red-ball cricket under the leadership of Shubman Gill, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is set for an exciting partnership with the young Test captain.

The five-match Test series against England, beginning June 20 at Headingley, Leeds, will also mark the start of India’s campaign in the 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle — and the first major challenge of the Gill-Gambhir era.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar highlighted the potential harmony between Gambhir and Gill, drawing parallels with the T20I setup where Gambhir is also expected to work with another young captain, Suryakumar Yadav, following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format.

“Gautam Gambhir, as coach, will enjoy a young captain with him,” said Manjrekar. “You can see him as a coach when he’s playing with Suryakumar Yadav as the Indian captain versus, you know, Rohit Sharma. He’ll enjoy that job. So there’s going to be a better kind of relationship between the captain and the coach.”

Manjrekar further compared Gill’s appointment to the time when Mohammed Azharuddin was unexpectedly made captain in 1989 after Krishnamachari Srikkanth was removed. He believes the situation Gill walks into bears a similar sense of freedom.

“The advantage that Shubman Gill has, this team has, it was a bit like the team in the 90s when we went to New Zealand, where Mohammed Azharuddin, out of the blue as a young cricketer, was made the captain. You go with the feeling that you’ve got nothing to lose.”

With the sudden retirements of senior stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket last month, India found itself in the midst of a generational transition. Jasprit Bumrah, the other logical contender for the role, reportedly opted out of leadership due to his injury history – a decision that, according to Manjrekar, may have left Gill as the natural, if not inevitable, choice.

“The big names have gone, Bumrah is not the captain, Gill, it’s almost like Gill had to do the job,” Manjrekar explained. “So you’re not going to feel the pressure. And I think, because India and the selectors made such a big call, they’ll back him and be supportive.”

Gill, who has played 32 Tests and scored 1,893 runs including five centuries, will lead a largely youthful side into hostile English conditions. While still early in his career, Gill already has leadership experience, having captained the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2025 playoffs.

–IANS

hs/ab