 "Shubman Gill. Photo: PTI")
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum wants to give some "leadership" role "in some capacity" to talented youngster Shubman Gill whose batting lower down the order copped much criticism last season.
Basically a top-order batsman, the 20-year-old Gill played some solid knocks for KKR last season but he did not click when he was asked to bat down the order.
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"What a talent..., he (Gill) is going to be a part of our leadership group this year as well, at least in some capacity. Even though he is young, I am a big believer that it's not necessarily true that you having played for a long time makes you a good leader," McCullum said of Gill in an interview in KKR website.
"It's about you exhibiting the behaviours of a leader. It's always good to have a cross-section of leadership within your group. To us, Shubman is one of those guys we would look to lean on for some leadership throughout this season," said the former New Zealand captain.
With the addition of Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan to the leadership group of KKR, McCullum said skipper Dinesh Karthik would be able to get the best out of the players.
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"I think there'll be a nice layer of leadership around DK where he's able to really prosper and touch all of the members of the Kolkata line up to try and get the very best out of themselves.
"I love DK as a person. He's quite intense at times which I love, we just need to provide him with some support. His passion for the game and his love of people is just infectious."
McCullum said Karthik is getting matured as a captain of the team.
"The team hasn't quite got over the line, but I think DK is in that stage in his leadership where he's almost ready to really mature and to really take ownership of the Knight Riders set up and back his judgement."
Talking about batting and wicketkeeping of Karthik, McCullum said, "You've got to break DK down a little bit into different parts to understand this. I think first and foremost, wicketkeeping. He's up there with the very best wicketkeepers in India.
"He's as good and as adaptable in any role. He doesn't come with perhaps, the stardom that some guys do and that's just DK's personality. But he's a big star within the KKR franchise, he's now been at the helm for a couple of years and he's had some success."
He said he's looking forward to reuniting with his former KKR teammate Morgan who will be Karthik's deputy.
"I think he's the perfect foil for DK as a vice captain. It's a match made in heaven in regards to an IPL franchise. You've got that overseas experience and leadership and you've got the local leader. I think it's a really nice mix.
"Some years back (2012), we played with each other at KKR and that relationship and that friendship really took off right from the word go. We like the same sorts of things - we enjoy playing golf, we enjoy horse racing..."
The World Cup-winning England skipper will, however, miss out on the first few games and will join only after the white-ball series against Australia at home slated to conclude on September 16, three days before the start of IPL in the UAE.
But Morgan, along with some others, will have to serve the mandatory quarantine period. KKR's likely base is Abu Dhabi.
The Indian players, meanwhile, have assembled in Mumbai for a short camp ahead of their likely departure to UAE on August 20.
