When Shubman Gill walks out for the toss with England captain Ben Stokes at Headingley on June 20, it will be a big moment for him. It will be his first time leading India in a Test match. This five-match Test series will also start a new chapter for Team India, with Gill taking over as captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement.

India last won a Test series in England back in 2007 under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. Before that, they had memorable wins in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar and in 1986 under Kapil Dev. Now, with Gill as captain, Kapil Dev feels confident that India can win again.

“Achha aur talented baccha hai – he’s a good and talented boy, and now he’s the captain of the Indian team,” Kapil said during an event by Three Sixty, held to celebrate his famous 175 runs not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. “I’m sure he will bring the trophy back. We are proud of him and the whole team. I hope they give their best and come back as winners.”

Shubman has played only three Tests in England so far, scoring 88 runs with an average of 14.66. But now he will have the big job of leading the team in tough conditions. With senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R. Ashwin retiring from Test cricket, the team now has a new look. Experienced names like Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and vice-captain Rishabh Pant are still there to support the youngsters.

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Many new players will be playing in England for the first time Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep. All of them will be looking to make a mark in challenging English conditions. Kapil Dev said people should not call this team “inexperienced.” 

“Today they may not have much experience, but tomorrow they will. I believe this team can do something special. My only message to them is go out there, play freely, and enjoy the game,” Kapil said. Talking about Jasprit Bumrah, Kapil praised him highly. “He’s one of the best bowlers in the world. He knows what to do and how to win games. For me, the team is always more important than anything else,” he added.