Gautam Gambhir Shubman Gill Press Conference Highlights: ‘Never a believer of road shows,’ says Gambhir on Bengaluru stampede

That was the last question, Gambhir and Gill then pose for the still photographers and then walk off. So, still no clarity on who will be replacing Virat Kohli at No.4. And well, you can't really say who will take Rohit's place as Yashasvi Jaiswal's opening partner either. Gill and Gambhir walk out of the room with their cards firmly held to their chests. It will be a bit of a surprise if we end up finding out the answers to these questions before Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley on June 20 but hey, that is only more fodder to indulge in some tasty speculation on who could take the places left vacant by these two stalwarts. 

Gambhir: I am no one to hold anyone responsible. Important thing is, I never believed in road shows. Winning and celebrations are important but what is more important is someone's life. If we are not prepared to handle that kind of crowd then might as well not having these road shows. We are responsible citizens of this country and we need to show that in all of our actions. 

Gambhir: It's just great for domestic cricket. All thye youngsters will know its importance. If you keep doing well there, doors are never shut for you. Always good to have the experience of Karun, he played County cricket there and he is in really good form. His experience will come in handy. More importantly, we won't judge someone by one or two Test matches. If someone has scored heaps of runs, he will be given a decent run. 

Gambhir: Anyone can be called. We can only pick 18, the chairman of selectors has already spoken about it. For me it is always about being open to people who are in good form. 

Gill: They play a certain way, we saw that in India as well. It is exciting for us, if we are proactive with our plans, it would put them under pressure immensely. 

Gambhir: I was never a believer of road shows. I had the same statement to make even after winning in 2007, we should never have roadshows. Maybe in the future we can do something in a stadium. My heart goes to the families of those who lost their lives.

All I can say is, we need to be responsible. Every life matters. If we are not ready to hold a road show, we should not do that. You cannot at any point of time lose 11 people.

Gambhir: First of all, I am always under pressure. Regardless of whether I would've won the Champions Trophy or not. Because being the coach, you want the results. It does not change with winning or losing. 

Shubman Gill: No particular style that I want to follow. I like communication with the players, making them feel secure. Making a bond with the players is very important for me as a captain. It is only when players are secure that they will give you their 100 percent. 

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir Press Conference LIVE: 

Gambhir: We haven't taken that call. A lot will depend on the results in the series and we will have a discussion with him. That is something that I am sure he is also aware of. 

Gill: It is a very individual call. If someone is playing in the IPL, it is important for them to stay in the moment and give their everything to the team. But I think it is a very individual call if they wanted to have some experience with the dukes ball, some players would have. 

Gill: Lot of our fast bowlers are in a great space to win us Test matches from any position. Obviously someone like Jasprit Bumrah, whenever he would play it would be a great sight for us. But we have a great mix of bowlers

Gambhir: Alwyas difficult to replace Bumrah but as I said in the Champions Trophy, it is an opportunity for someone to put his hand up. And there is enough quality there. 

Shubman Gill: It was very overwhelming, at the same time it was a big responsibility and looking forward to this great challenge. We still have some time, we will be playing an intra-squad and have a 10-day camp in London. We will decide the batting order once we are there

Gambhir: You are always on a good space, it's an opportunity to do something special for the country. Really doesn't matter if it is a clean slate or not. What's important is that we have a talented squad who are willing to go out there, express themselves and do something special. 

Gill: Pressure is always there in every tour. Definitely, two very experienced players who played for such a long time and won so many times, very difficult to fill their space. But it is not a different kind of pressure, all of us players are used to it. 

How about it. At exactly 7.30pm IST, Gill and Gambhir sit down for the press conference. Here we go then!

The press conference is scheduled to start at 7.30pm IST. It will be held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai as usual. You can stream it live on JioHotstar and it is being broadcast on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 3. 

Sriram Veera reckons that Shubman Gill isn't exactly the finished product in Test cricket and that selectors' lack of faith in other contenders may have played a major role in his appointment as captain. Gill was, after all, dropped from the playing XI midway during the last Test series that India played just a few months back. Read more HERE. 

Shubman Gill  hails from a farming family with roots in the border district of Fazilka in Punjab. Soon after the team was announced, the streets of Chak Kherewala, the cricketer’s village which is 16 kilometres from the border, were buzzing with pride. His family, however, confined themselves to their home, seeking privacy. Mihir Vasavda and Nitin Sharma tell you more right HERE.

Shubman Gill is the 37th captain India have had in Test cricket. CK Nayudu led India in their maiden Test match in 1932 against England. However, it was only 20 years later that India tasted their first Test victory under the captaincy of Vijay Hazare against England on February 10, 1952 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Read more HERE.

In case you missed it, England announced their squad for the first Test earlier today. Jamie Overton has received a surprise call-up, replacing the injured Gus Atkinson. Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse are all back in the squad after missing England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month. Read more HERE.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had announced the Indian 18-man squad for the tour on May 24. Apart from announcing Shubman Gill as the captain, Rishabh Pant was also revealed as vice-captain of the side. 

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

The T20 extravaganza of the IPL has come to an end and it is time to slowly recalibrated your brain to Test cricket mode. For most players in this Indian team this upcoming tour of England would be a definint moment in the early stages of their careers. And this applies arguably the most to Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old has played 32 Tests but this will be his first as full-time captain of the team in the longest format, a daunting task for anyone along with being, as Gill himself said, an honour reserved for few in India's illustrious cricketing history. Today, Gill will speak with the media for the first time after taking over with head coach Gautam Gambhir by his side after which they fly to England with the rest of the Indian team. Stay tuned for more updates!