MUMBAI, May 26 -- Shubman Gill has the makings of a good Test captain - highly rated as a batter, he is composed, confident and firm in his calls. He also has enough experience of international cricket. If he clicks, he will become the face of Indian cricket and a fine ambassador for the game. Importantly, like Virat Kohli, he too values Test cricket. The 25-year-old does look ready in most aspects. While there is massive optimism over his selection to the most high-profile job in Indian cricket, a big test awaits him straightaway. The key concern is over his batting. What if he doesn't get runs in English conditions? After all, he is yet to prove himself in England. And the best way to get the team's backing is by infusing confidence that the captain will deliver with the bat. In three Tests in England, Gill's highest score is 28 at an average of 14.67. Two of those games were World Test Championship finals that India lost to New Zealand and Australia. Though pace holds no fear for him, as he showed in his debut series in Australia in 2020-21 that India won, the latest series there didn't go well. He averaged 18.60 in three Tests, with a highest score of 31. Overall, the Punjab batter has played 32 Tests, scoring 1,893 runs at a modest average of 35 with five hundreds and seven fifties. For a captain to gain authority in the dressing room, there is nothing better than leading by example. The first two Tests thus will be crucial. Having runs under the belt will help ease into the role quickly. His success as a captain will also depend on his ability to take tough decisions, dropping out of form players; he can do that with conviction only if his own form is good. Even for experienced and successful captains, it gets tough when runs are not coming. Rohit Sharma, from whom he takes over, had a torrid time in Australia and had to bench himself for the last Test to accommodate Gill in the eleven. Although he has not clicked in the seaming conditions in England, Gill has always shown the ability to overcome challenges, work on his game and adapt. An example is his two series at home against England. In the first series in 2021, he averaged just 19.83 in four Tests. He got out four times to pacers as James Anderson gave him a tough time. When Anderson and Co returned to India in 2024 though, Gill was a transformed batter. He led India's run charts with 452 runs (Avg 56.50, 2x100s and a 91). The way he played Anderson in India was impressive, but the ball can swing all day in England. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar agreed that the Indian batters will be challenged. "Everyone's going to be tested in England. I don't think any batsman is going to feel at home, like it was in Australia. These are tough places to tour. But we have the confidence that he's got the goods. As far as his batting is concerned, from our side at least there's no real issue. Hopefully, he can only do better as a captain." Agarkar was confident captaincy will inspire Gill. "You can look at it as a burden (or) you can look at it positively that it could inspire him to do better," he said. "He's been around now for two or three years in all formats so that experience. I'm sure he can fall back on that," the former India all-rounder added. Playing against England, India will need batters to play positively and at the same time show sound batting technique - showing control over shots by playing with soft hands. However, the batting unit rarely fires collectively. The trend in most series is that the batting revolves around one player who averages over 40. In 2011, while Dravid averaged 76.83 in India's 4-0 defeat, Sachin Tendulkar's 34.12 was the next best average. In 2014, top run-getter for India Murali Vijay averaged 40.20; after him MS Dhoni averaged 34.90 and Ajinkya Rahane 33.22. Virat Kohli averaged 13.40 after struggling against Anderson. In 2018, where Kohli's blockbuster run saw him average 59.30 in the series, Cheteshwar Pujara averaged 39.71 and KL Rahul 29.90. In 2021-22, behind Rohit Sharma's average of 52.57, KL Rahul averaged 39.37 and Pant 38.77. Kohli's average was 27.66. On most days, at No.3, Gill will end up facing a newer ball. Going straight from Indian Premier League is not ideal preparation. He will have to adjust quickly. In IPL, one must go hard at the ball from the fist over. In England, patience will be the key. Touted as the next big thing in Indian batting from his under-19 days, this tour was supposed to be more about being the pivot for India's batting. But with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma having retired, he needs to step into the role of batting lynchpin, which in itself is a big challenge. In an interview to HT last season, Gill had spelt out the benefits of batting with seniors Kohli and Rohit. "It is great opening with someone like Rohit bhai and then (batting with) Virat bhai. When they come to bat, all the focus and eyes are on them. It is easier for the other batter to just operate because the opposition is always trying to get them out." Apart from captaincy, Gill will now be the main wicket Ben Stokes and Co will target. To show the way, Gill will have to soak in the extra pressure and lead the batting unit with runs....