Virat Kohli has offered a strong public endorsement of Shubman Gill's leadership, saying the India captain has already shown the clarity, intensity and intent needed to lead the national side for a long time. In a wide-ranging conversation with JioStar ahead of India's first ODI against West Indies on Sunday, September 27, 2026, Kohli said Gill is still learning the demands of captaincy but has the temperament to grow into the role without losing sight of what matters most.
"Shubman, the captain, is still learning. He is still young in the role, but he has got the right perspective and the right kind of intensity to lead the Indian team," Kohli said. The remark carried added weight because it came from one of India's most influential modern cricketers, a player who has himself spent years under the pressure of leading the national team and carrying its batting burden.
Kohli said what stands out about Gill is not only his age or promise, but the way he thinks about the game. According to Kohli, Gill already has a clear sense of how he wants India to operate in the field and is willing to make bold decisions to stay ahead of the opposition. "He has got his plans very clear in terms of how he looks at us operating in the field. Of course, with more experience and understanding situations, the kind of calls you take are things that he will keep working on and improving, which everyone does in a leadership role," Kohli said.
For Kohli, the most important trait is Gill's desire to do the job properly. "But he has got the desire to lead the Indian cricket team in the right way, which is the most important factor. So, I see him leading for a long time, and he will be absolutely fine," he added. Kohli also highlighted Gill's willingness to think creatively in the field, saying the captain is not afraid to adjust fields, apply pressure and communicate clearly with his bowlers. "He thinks of ways to get batters out in the field, which is always a sign of doing something different or staying a step ahead. He is not shy to use different kinds of fields, put guys under pressure, communicate the same to the bowlers, and bring in a certain kind of bowling attack," Kohli said.
The comments amount to a significant vote of confidence from a senior figure whose views on leadership and batting carry enormous influence in Indian cricket. Gill, still early in his tenure as captain, has been under scrutiny over how quickly he can translate promise into authority. Kohli's assessment suggests the dressing room may already see him as a long-term option rather than a stopgap.
Kohli also used the interview to explain the evolution in his own batting approach, a change that has helped him remain in exceptional form in ODIs. Over his last 10 one-day internationals, he has scored three centuries, one score above 90 and four fifties, a run that has reinforced his status as one of the format's most reliable performers even as he approaches 38. He described the shift as a deliberate decision to play with more freedom and less concern about outside expectations.
"What's changed is, firstly, I promised myself that I'm going to play more freely. I'm not going to worry about the expectations that people might have around me. My role had always been, for a long period of time, that I'm going to stabilise things," Kohli said. He added that role clarity remains central to how he approaches an innings, especially in difficult conditions where the temptation to attack can clash with the responsibility to build an innings.
"I know I can play, I know I can hit shots. But the demands are such that if it's a tricky situation and you are playing on a tricky pitch, you eventually get into a space where you're like, I can hit, but I've been given a role," he said. Kohli explained that he now wants to create room for an extra 30 to 40 runs that can change the shape of a match. "I am making a conscious effort that if I'm set to make a difference in the game, where you can get 30–40 extra runs. I want to stay in a space where, if I'm choosing not to take a risk, it's because I'm setting up eventually to get to a point where I say, okay, now press the accelerator down."
That mindset, he believes, can help India push totals into the 350 to 360 range, especially in modern ODI conditions where teams increasingly target 340-plus. "The game is changing in a way that, especially if the conditions are fast-paced and good, and other teams are looking to push you towards 340–350, we should be able to get 350–360 as well. I'm very willing to take risks now because I know that if I make runs there, we'll get 350–360 easily. And if I do that and play longer, then I can hit more at the end," he said.
Kohli said the change has been as much mental as technical. "Freedom, Kohli said, is a state of mind," and he acknowledged that he had to unlock that feeling for himself. "I had to unlock a little bit of that freedom in my own mind. That's also helped me in the IPL as well. I was able to play with that same freedom because I'm not thinking that if I get out, the situation..."
Even in that unfinished thought, the message was clear: Kohli is no longer batting with the weight of expectation alone, and Gill is being backed to lead with the same balance of clarity and courage. For India, the pairing of a young captain with a freer, more expansive Kohli could shape the next phase of its white-ball cricket.