It's a big responsibility: Shubman Gill on Indian Test captaincy

Gill, one of the youngest Indian cricketers to take charge of the red-ball squad, said serving as the Indian Test skipper is a big responsibility.

Speaking to ICC website, Gill said: "To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour and it's a big responsibility. I'm looking forward to this exciting opportunity and the upcoming series against England is going to be an exciting one.”

He said a young kid always dreams about playing Test cricket for India for a long time when he starts learning the game for the first time in his life.

“I believe in leading by example, not just by performance, but I think off the field by discipline and hard work. As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in and also when to give space to the players," Gill said.

“A good leader should always be able to know what makes his players be able to have the best performance or the best outcome," he said.

Gill was announced as the captain after two of India's veteran cricketers- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli- retired from the longest format this month.

Sharma was also serving as the Test captain of India since Kohli quit the job.

“Be it Virat bhai or Rohit bhai, both were very contrasting in terms of the style, but it was very inspiring to see both of them working towards a common goal. You want to be able to win as a captain, and your styles can be different, but they both were very different, but also similar in their own sense," he said.

Speaking about them, he said they have provided the present Indian team with a blueprint on touring foreign lands and winning series there.

India will play five-Test series in England from June 20.

It will also mark the beginning of the new World Test Championship cycle.