'Captaincy brings out the best in me', says Gill after series win over Zimbabwe

Harare, July 15 (IANS) After leading India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe, Shubman Gill believes that captaincy "brings out the best in him" as he discovered the side of him that he really ejoyed on the field.

Gill, who narrowly missed selection for the T20 World Cup, was one of India's standout performers in their 4-1 series triumph over Zimbabwe, which concluded in Harare on Sunday. As opener and captain, the right-hander amassed a series-best 170 runs at an average of 42.50, performing admirably in both roles.

The Zimababwe series marked Gill's first time captaining India at the senior level, and the 24-year-old acknowledged he enjoyed the experience. As the search for Rohit's successor as skipper continues, Gill's leadership will be under consideration ahead of India's white-ball series in Sri Lanka later this month and the three home matches against Bangladesh later in the year.

"It is something that I definitely enjoy. I think it brings out the best in me when I am out there because I look to be involved in the game. It is something that really brings out the side of me which I enjoy being on the field," said Gill.

"There was pressure, I wouldn't say extra pressure but obviously, even when you are playing just as a batter when you don't perform there is a certain kind of pressure that comes along with it.

"But I think that's the fun part of it. You kind of feel so many different emotions. Pressure is one of them. And when you get out of that, the satisfaction that you feel is immense," he added.

Gill further said he learned plenty from playing under Rohit in recent times, but also picked up leadership qualities from a host of other India players as he seeks to become a permanent fixture in all three formats for his country.

"You can take qualities from Rohit bhai or even Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai, Virat bhai, Hardik (Pandya) bhai, all of them. All of them have great qualities. I have played the most under Rohit bhai, so he is someone who I look up to and really enjoy playing under," said Gill.

Gill wasn't the only India batter to perform well against Zimbabwe, with fellow young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal (141 runs) and the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (133) and Abhishek Sharma (124) all managing scores in excess of 50 during the series.

He believes that the competition for selection among the next crop of top-order batters will significantly boost the reigning T20 World Cup champions.

"It's a good thing that everyone's performing. It shows that everyone is hungry and nobody is ready to take it easy. For any country or board, that's always a good thing.

"Anyone who got the opportunity grabbed it with both hands. The openers to bowlers to allrounders to spinners, everyone made a mark and I think the selectors have now seen everything and it's up to them to name the squad for the next series (in Sri Lanka)," he said.

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