India, Oct. 6 -- Four and a half months ago, Shubman Gill was just one of the boys tasked with taking Indian cricket into the future. Today, the 26-year-old has become the unquestioned leader of men. The future is here already.

It's been a whirlwind emotional roller-coaster for Gill, whose rise from a star-in-the-making to the beacon of hope has been staggeringly frenetic. At the beginning of May, he was still trying to find his feet as India's Test No. 3, a position occupied with distinction by Cheteshwar Pujara and, before him, Rahul Dravid. He was deputy to Rohit Sharma in the 50-over format and hadn't played a Twenty20 International since July 2024.

Rohit's retirement from Test cricket in the second week of May, coupled with the nec...