KL Rahul’s First Reaction After Shubman Gill Became The New Test Captain Of India

Team India will welcome a fresh World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on Friday when they play England in the opening Test of a five-match series at Headingley. This is more than a conventional tour opener—it signals the start of a revolutionary era of Indian Test cricket. With Shubman Gill now assuming the role of captain and Rishabh Pant being made his deputy, the team enters a new phase after the retirements of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the red-ball version.

India is now well and truly in transition mode, and the series against Ben Stokes’ England is the first big challenge for this younger team. The leadership transition seems to have overwhelming backing within the dressing room. KL Rahul, another of the most seasoned names in the team and erstwhile stand-in Test captain, disclosed he was among the first to get in touch with Gill after the announcement of his captaincy. Rahul touched on unity as well as collective responsibility as being instrumental in India’s success in the next few weeks.

“I reached out to Shubman the minute the team was announced, and when he was announced (as) the captain. (I told him) You will always find me around, any help, any guidance, if you need someone to share something with or talk to, I’m always there. But I believe you need to give people their space to really follow their gut instinct. If they need help, I’m always there,” Rahul told Sony Sports Network.

“We have been together. (If) We don’t get results our way, somewhere along the way, everyone makes mistakes. That’s not going to change. We are going to try and help out everyone in the team. I’m always there,” said KL Rahul

This set has additional importance as a consequence of the generational change within the team. Along with leadership transition, selectors have provided an entry point for newcomers. Left-handed batsman Sai Sudharsan and pacer Arshdeep Singh both have their first Test call-ups, and middle-order batsman Karun Nair gets back into the squad after 2017.

India’s previous Test series in England, played over 2021 and 2022 because of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, concluded in a 2-2 tie after India had taken an early 2-1 lead. Returning to English soil with a new team and leadership lineup, India will be keen to not just complete that unfinished business but also deliver a strong opening statement in the fresh WTC cycle.