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Deja Vu New King Shubman Gill Repeats Virat Kohli Captaincy Debut Record
Cricket fans are calling it royal déjà vu! The Deja vu New King Shubman Gill repeats Virat Kohli captaincy debut record moment has taken the cricket world by storm. Both the “Old King” Virat Kohli and the “New King” Shubman Gill began their captaincy journeys with a string of identical results — defeats in all three formats. From Tests to ODIs and T20Is, the young Gill has mirrored Kohli’s early leadership struggles, marking a rare record in Indian cricket history.
India’s seven-wicket loss to Australia in Perth sealed the statistic — Gill, like Kohli, started his leadership career with three losses. The duo now join a short list of only nine captains in world cricket to have lost on debut across formats.
🏏 Shubman Gill Mirrors Kohli’s Captaincy Start
| Format | Virat Kohli (Debut Result) | Shubman Gill (Debut Result) |
|---|---|---|
| Test | Lost to Australia (2014) | Lost to England (2025) |
| ODI | Lost to Sri Lanka (2013) | Lost to Australia (2025) |
| T20I | Lost to England (2017) | Lost to Zimbabwe (2024) |
Apart from Gill and Kohli, captains like Stephen Fleming, Shaun Pollock, Brendon McCullum, and Mohammad Rizwan have also faced similar triple defeats on debut — a bittersweet trivia for cricket historians and the Cricket Army fans who love their stats.
🌧️ What Went Wrong in Perth?
In Perth, Gill’s ODI captaincy debut was hit by bad weather and batting misfires. Under cloudy skies, India chose to bat first, but early wickets fell quickly — Rohit Sharma looked rusty after an eight-month break, and Gill himself fell cheaply. Rain interruptions reduced the game to 26 overs, making run-building difficult.
India ended with just 131 runs, and despite some late fight, Australia chased it down via the DLS method in 21.1 overs. At the post-match presentation, Gill admitted the powerplay collapse was the turning point:
“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game. But we took it deep and learned a lot from this match.”
💪 The Road Ahead for Shubman Gill
Despite the record, Gill’s captaincy potential is undeniable. He was India’s top scorer in the Test series against England and showed smart leadership for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, scoring 426 runs that season.
Under Gill’s captaincy, India have drawn a Test series in England and won at home against West Indies. With the 2027 World Cup approaching, Gill’s next mission will be getting runs out of veterans like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are returning after long breaks.
For now, Gill remains India’s captain-in-waiting in T20Is, set to take full charge only after the 2026 T20 World Cup. Until then, he’ll aim to balance leadership lessons with match-winning performances — and maybe flip that record in his favor soon.
Stay tuned with Cricket Army for more updates, stats, and behind-the-scenes stories from India’s next generation of leaders.
