India, June 14 -- Shubman Gill is slowly understanding that to garner respect among teammates as a captain, he has to become a reliable batter first. He has to score big runs consistently and consistently lead the team to wins. Yes, he has to do both to stay as the India captain for long. Against Afghanistan in the first ODI at Dharamsala on Saturday, he did precisely that.

It won't be wrong to say that Shubman Gill's ODI captaincy journey well and truly kick-started against Afghanistan. He may have been made ODI captain last year after the Champions Trophy win, but on Saturday, for the first time he appeared like one. He led the team from the front. His misunderstanding with Rohit Sharma between the wickets was the only blemish. Chasing...