There were a lot of questions raised, when Shubman Gill was handed the reigns of the ODI team, after taking over as the skipper of the Test team. Some felt that Gill was too young to be able to handle the pressure, while others thought, it would impact his batting. But none of that happened, as he went on to become one of India’s captain, surpassing a few seniors in the team.

Shivam Mavi goes back to KKR days

His former KKR teammate and pacer Shivam Mavi also felt that his leadership qualities were visible when the duo played together in IPL. IN an exclusive interview with InsideSport, the young pacer went on to narrate an incident where, he saw glimpses of Gill’s brilliance.

“Shubman is a smart captain. To go first time to England as a skipper, to be 1-2 down, and then level it, it’s a hard task to achieve. I understand him from the time of my second IPL in 2020; I remember during the practice matches, he used to rotate his bowlers really well.

Talsk about Shubman Gill’s game awareness

“He had the game awareness since then. BCCI of course, saw him for 4-5 years, when he captained in the IPL, and then was made India skipper. It was really heartening to see, that such a sharp mind would be of great use to Team India,” Shivam Mavi said.

Meanwhile, this could be an important year for Mavi himself, who had last played in the IPL in 2022, and since then has been plagued by injuries. This year he appears to be fully fit, where he has proved himself with the bat and the ball in the Ranji Trophy. Come the IPL 2026 auction, he could generate some interest in teams, as a lower-order all-rounder.