They, and every single person you talk to in Punjab, are immensely proud of the fact that he will be the first male cricketer from united Punjab to lead India in Test cricket. This could be the first time in Indian cricketing history that both men and women’s team captains are from Punjab. Harmanpreet Kaur — India women captain — hails from a small Punjab village called Moga, about 125 kms from Shubman village. They could not be more contrasting when it comes to on-field personality, but they represent the hinterlands of the country.
Shubman, at the moment, has massive shoes to fill, especially in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – both their predecessors. While it seems likely that Shubman will take over Kohli’s No. 4 spot in the batting line-up, the bigger question would be what kind of captain he eventually turns out to be. Rohit and Kohli had their own styles, albeit contrasting, and brought their perspectives to the game.
With Shubman, it is not going to be any different. He might not be too animated or excited on the field as Kohli was, nor would he be making quirky, comical remarks like Rohit. Shubman’s first and foremost job would be to handle his players in the dressing room and the tactics he employs on the field. “At that level, they make their own identity. They are one of their own. I don’t think they do this by looking at someone else. These guys (captains) do their own thing, and everybody else watches them. I am very hopeful that he (Shubman) will do well for India. This is a new era; two legends have retired. These young boys have to settle in and take the team forward in the coming time. My best wishes are with him and hopefully, he will make the country proud like he has always made us proud,” says Gurkeerat.
“He’s still very, very young, and with the kind of responsibility on his shoulders, this is a young team with relatively new players. We will have to see how he fares as a captain and a batter. I hope he does well. If they win the series, then I think it will be something very special,” Ghavri adds.
