I won't think I am the captain when I get out to bat: Gill

Leeds: There’s no denying the pressure Shubman Gill must be facing right now. Although he was destined for bigger things right from his age-group days, being installed as the captain of the Indian Test team at a young age of 25 years can be unnerving. Simply put, it’s one of the toughest jobs in the country, in fact, world cricket.

Gill, though, betrayed few nerves. Walking into a packed press conference at Headingley on Thursday, the Punjabi looked completely at ease ahead of the gruelling five-Test series against England, which will be nothing less than a baptism by fire of his captaincy credentials.

Calling his elevation to the throne as a blessing, Gill said he and his deputy Rishabh Pant want to create a secure working environment where each player knows his specific role. “Rishabh and I have played a lot of games together, and our mindset and our thinking are sort of aligned. Our vision is also aligned. We want to create an environment in the team where everyone feels secure, and I think, I personally believe that everyone's best performances come when they are feeling the most secure and they are feeling validated and secure, and that's the kind of environment that we want to create in the team. It's all about giving them clear communication and having honest conversations with them,” said Gill.

Captaincy, at times, has a debilitating effect on an individual’s performance owing to the added responsibilities. Gill, who has been preparing for this series by training with Dukes red-ball during the IPL, said he’s confident of leading from the front.

“I don't really want to think that I'm the captain of the team because I think that sometimes puts too much pressure on me. Whenever I'm going out there, I want to play as a batsman and I want to dominate the opposition and be the best batsman in the series. And that's what I'm trying to look at,” said the skipper.

Gill will drop down to number four, taking over the spot from Virat Kohli. Having started his career as an opener, Gill has been batting at his favoured number three spot but is opting to step down for the team’s cause. “There was, I mean after Virat bhai retired, me and GG bhai (head coach Gautam Gambhir) had a discussion about it and we were both clear that he wanted me to be at number 4 and I was also clear that I wanted to bat at that number.”

Gill is taking over at a difficult time, not just because of the retirements of three legends — Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin — but the team having lost two successive series — 3-0 at home against New Zealand and 1-3 versus Australia away. Gill said his side is not carrying the baggage of the past and is just looking at the future.

“We all are very motivated. A lot of people talk about our side is not experienced. But there are also positives that we don't really have any baggage coming to England because not all of the players have really been to England. So that could be one thing that really makes a difference for us because we wouldn't be carrying any baggage.”