New Delhi [India], March 24 : Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson firmly believes that Shubman Gill has the qualities to become a good captain.
Williamson played under Gill's leadership during his stint with Gujarat Titans in the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). During his time in the GT camp, the 'Fab Four' member observed that Gill communicated "clearly" and had "conviction in his thoughts."
"He's a very well put together human. A great cricketing brain and cares about his team-mates. He's very sure on how he wants to go about his business, which I think it's a really strong leadership quality and quite infectious, so there's no surprises really that he's touted for leadership for some of the Indian sides in the near future," Williamson told ESPNcricinfo.
"He's got some really clear thoughts about how he wants to captain. And you know, that's important. You have some thoughts, and you do it with conviction, and you learn, and you try and get better - and he's got all of that. He's got that capability, and you see it in the way he plays, the way you can adjust from format to format, from Test cricket to T20 cricket. He's done it all at the highest level. So yeah, I think he's a special player and going to be a fine leader as well," he added.
Williamson said every leader has a job to do with the skills that they have.
"With bat, ball, whatever it is, but you're trying to pick the best leader for the group that you have. They've clearly identified Shubman as that person by bringing him into perhaps some of the vice-captaincy roles to get a closer understanding of how the leadership of the team works under Rohit [Sharma], who's done it so successfully for such a long period of time," he said.
Gill, at the age of 25, has been appointed as skipper Rohit Sharma's deputy in the ODI format. Despite his prolific batting skills, he has yet to cement his place across all formats. Williamson believes, Gill's promotion in the decision-making hierarchy is a sign pointing towards who will lead India forward.
"I think that's probably what that vice-captaincy role really means. That there's a guy here that we know is going to perhaps take this team forward. So how can we bring him in a little bit closer to get an understanding of how the Indian team have had so much success. There's a lot of good that's happening there clearly, so sharing that information is really important," he said.
"I've never really seen him too overawed. He's on this path of getting better and better. He's got strong aspirations to keep doing that, and, and I'm sure we're just going to continue to see it in these other formats," he added.
During Gill's debut season as GT captain in the cash-rich league, the Titans finished in the eighth spot with 12 points and seven defeats.