Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was full of praise for newly appointed Team India red-ball skipper Shubman Gill , ahead of his captaincy debut against England. Tendulkar expressed his firm belief in the young captain’s abilities, stating that he would do ‘something special’ in England.
Last month, Shubman Gill was appointed India’s new Test captain, after the position was vacated following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest format. Sharma was followed by India’s most successful red-ball skipper, Virat Kohli, who retired days later. Gill was chosen as a successor to Sharma, while Rishabh Pant as his deputy, with their first major assignment being the five-match Test series against England.
Shubman Gill leads India as Test captain in five-match England series starting on Friday in Leeds. https://t.co/MaxisvZFno
— The National (@TheNationalNews) June 17, 2025
Concerns have risen however, regarding Gill’s leadership capabilities and his limited experience in Test cricket. He’s never captained India’s Test team, having only led the national side once in white-ball cricket during a 2024 tour to Zimbabwe. His primary captaincy experience comes from leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Furthermore, Gill’s record of just 1893 runs from 32 Tests has prompted questions about his accession to the role over more seasoned players like Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul.
The comparison of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli's Test numbers at the age of 31.#Cricket #CricTracker pic.twitter.com/cbmX0rdBTq
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) July 16, 2020
Despite these concerns, the 25-year-old has been backed by several former Indian players, one of them being his idol and legend Sachin Tendulkar. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Tendulkar praised Gill’s abilities and advised him to ignore outside opinions about his captaincy style. Tendulkar, who himself captained India at just 23 in 1996, urged Gill to follow his own instincts, and to focus solely on discussions within the dressing room.
Sachin Tendulkar said, "Shubman Gill is a talented player and very eager to go out and compete hard. I have faith in him. I've interacted a bit with him. He's a good student of the game and he's been impressive". (Sky Sports). pic.twitter.com/dYOSzH8lf8
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 19, 2025
Talking about the young batter possibly playing at the no. 4 spot, a position previously held by Tendulkar himself and then Virat Kohli, the 52-year-old felt it was a positive sign that people trust Gill with such a crucial role. It remains to be seen whether Shubman Gill manages to reach close to his predecessors’ records at no.4, with Sachin having scored 13,408 runs, and Kohli 7,564 runs in that position.
I would say, just go out, it’s a huge honour, enjoy the moment and give your best for the country and do what is in the interest of the country. Other than that, I would say shut the doors to everything.
Sachin Tendulkar’s advice to Shubman Gill
Sachin Tendulkar also advised Gill to remain authentic and commit fully to every match of the England tour, confidently predicting the 25-year-old captain would achieve ‘something special’. He even refused to draw parallels between his captaincy stint, to Shubman Gill. Asked to predict the outcome of India’s five-match Test series in England, Tendulkar concluded by stating that the Men in Blue would win it 3-1.
The expectations that people have of him [Shubman Gill] is a positive sign, because people have faith in him… I’m sure he’ll do something special.
Apart from him, the former Indian star also heaped praise on Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who is among the senior batters in the India side.
Newly appointed Indian skipper Shubman Gill highlighted his conversations with former India captains, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, ahead of the team’s five-match series against England. Gill plans to draw inspiration from India’s 4-1 home Test series win against England in 2024.
The young man revealed that he met both of them during the 2025 IPL season and took note of the valuable insights that they provided about their experiences in England. Shubman Gill hinted that his side would draw ingenuity from the 2024 Test series, where India won by a margin. Notably, Gill was the second-highest scorer in that series, with 452 runs at an average of 56.50, just behind Yashasvi Jaiswal .
I think the Test Series that we played against England in India was one of the best series that I have been part of… And how we went about that series was the way that I think the series is also going to be.
Shubman Gill said prior to the match
Shubman Gill and the Indian red-ball team face a challenging historical record in England. Out of 19 Test series played there, India has only won three, while England has dominated with an impressive 14 victories.
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The New York Yankees still have multiple holes to fill in their roster before MLB’s July 31 trade deadline. One of those holes is in the bullpen, as New York’s 4.38 relief squad ERA is good for the fifth highest in the American League. However, one of the main relievers Yankees GM Brian Cashman is targeting doesn’t appear to be much of an upgrade. Colorado Rockies RHP Jake Bird is reported to be at or near the top of the Yankees’ bullpen wishlist. A month or so ago, a glance at his stat line made the idea of New York acquiring him seem like a great idea. On June 21, the 29-year-old had a sterling 2.06 ERA. Entering play on Monday, that number has nearly doubled, up to 4.05. And that’s the type of pitcher Bird is. His career monthly ERA splits indicate he’s a middling reliever who pitches well at the beginning of the season and then tapers off by the end: April/March: 3.29 May: 2.92 June: 4.46 July: 8.31 August: 3.31 September/October: 5.21 One of the main problems with Bird is that he allows too many hits. He’s given up a few more hits than innings pitched in every season since he broke into the league in 2022, and he’s on pace to do the same in 2025. That’s not ideal for a reliever who often has to come in with runners on base. Bird’s issues aren’t a result of his notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark in Denver, either. Over his career, he’s pitched to a 4.60 ERA at home and a 4.20 ERA on the road. Also, some of his worst performances this year have come on the road, including a July 8 outing in Boston when he allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and a walk in just a third of an inning. Maybe the Yankees see Bird as a guy they can help reach his full potential, like Fernando Cruz or Tim Hill, both of whom produced drastic ERA drops immediately upon donning pinstripes. What’s more likely, though, is that they view Bird as a decent player who they’ll have control over for the next three seasons. That kind of thinking is great for the bottom line. But it won’t bring the World Series trophy back to the Bronx.
The Los Angeles Angels have just a few more hours until the trade deadline, and a former player recently called out his former squad for not selling. The Halos are four games back from the final Wild Card spot and recently brought in a pair of veteran relievers, but retired centerfielder Cameron Maybin thinks that the Angels should be parting ways with more pieces to build towards the future. "What are the Angels waiting for," asked Maybin on his Twitter/X account. "...start selling already!" Maybin went a step further, later asserting that closer Kenley Jansen was signed purely for trade deadline movement. "Dodgers might as well go get Kenley Jansen back at this point," Maybin wrote on X. "Pretty sure he signed with the Angels just to make the trade deadline commute smoother. "Just feels right to me!" If the Angels believe that they can make a run, holding onto a revered closer such as Jansen is certainly what the correct course of action is. After the Halos acquired Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin from the Washington Nationals, for Jake Eder and minor leaguer Sam Brown on Wednesday, it looks like it could be the start of building a contender for this season. Another piece that the Halos would get a ton of value from is adding another starting pitcher. Perhaps flipping an expiring contract for a rotational piece so as not to give up a prospect keeps the Angels in contention for 2025, but doesn't mess with the future of the franchise. Regardless of what happens next, the Angels are still a piece or two away from being seen as a team that can make an impact in October. If the Halos do, in fact, start selling as Maybin urged, the deals must start coming in before 3:00 p.m PT.
The New York Yankees shook up the trade deadline in a big way on Thursday, acquiring a pair of leverage relievers as they attempt to get back to the World Series this season. Fortifying the back-end of the bullpen, New York brought in former All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates and hard-throwing Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies. In exchange, they gave up a slew of prospects, including Roc Biggio and Ben Shields (Bird), and Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez and Brian Sanchez (Bednar). In total, the Yankees traded away two prospects from their MLB Pipeline Top 10: Flores was eighth and Biggio was 10th. Perez was ranked 14th, while Shields was 28th. Sanchez was unranked. With regards to Flores, he is a catcher and a first baseman who had been predicted to make his debut in 2026. The Yankees clearly found him expendable given the presence of Ben Rice and Austin Wells. Biggio, an infielder, is blocked currently by Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base and Ryan McMahon at third. New York entered play on Thursday at 59-49 and in the first position in the American League wild card chase. They advanced to the World Series last season, but have slumped this season, losing holding hold in the American League East. The Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium before heading to Miami for a weekend series with the suddenly surging Marlins. They'll then play the also surging Texas Rangers next week. Texas is currently in the third wild card spot in the American League, tied with the Seattle Mariners. Both teams are 57-52. Related MLB Stories UPDATE on SHOEHI: Shohei Ohtani left the game as a pitcher on Wednesday night. Here's the latest. CLICK HERE: DEATH OF A LEGEND: Ryne Sandberg, the Baseball Hall of Famer, passed away at the age of 65 this week. CLICK HERE: SKENES IS UNREAL! Paul Skenes is making rarely before seen history for the Pirates, doing it on both a season-long and career-long level. CLICK HERE:
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a few hours left until the trade deadline. After landing a few prospects in a three-team deal with the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays, and reuniting with Brock Stewart by way of the Minnesota Twins, there is still chatter among the baseball world as to what the Dodgers will do next. Recently graduated top prospect Dalton Rushing has established himself as the new backup catcher for the defending champions after being called up in May, and LA parting ways with longtime backstop Austin Barnes. With the rumor mill churning like never before, the 24-year-old catcher was linked to a few contenders ahead of this exciting deadline. Manager Dave Roberts recently spoke on Rushing being involved in these rumors and what he thinks will happen to the backstop. "I just don’t see a world in which he’s moved anyway and I think he’s smart enough to realize that," Roberts said. Rushing was raking in Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, batting .308/.424/.514 with a .938 OPS across 31 games. He added five home runs and 17 RBIs during this time. With a clear need to bring up another strong bat, Barnes was designated for assignment and Rushing was called up. So far in his MLB debut, Rushing is hitting .200 with a .545 OPS through 29 games. Although his early struggles are common for recently called up prospects given the expectations and pressure on the young man, it is certainly not a sign that the Dodgers would look to trade him. Catching prospect Hunter Feduccia was flipped on Wednesday as a result of the Reds and Rays deal, further shrinking the catching depth in the Dodgers organization. Parting ways with Rushing before he has shown his fullest potential in the majors makes less sense as the days go on, and it doesn't look he will be in a different uniform beyond Aug 1.