Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra told new Test captain Shubman Gill to learn from Virat Kohli ahead of the five-Test matches against England starting June 20. Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma recently retired from red-ball cricket, leading to Gill’s appointment as captain in the game’s longest format.

Kohli led India to 40 wins out of 68 matches and never lost a home series. India also won their first-ever Test series in Australia under his leadership in 2018-19.

“You can take inspiration from Virat Kohli’s success in Test cricket, his hunger for runs in red-ball format, and his leadership style, but not necessarily his slot. It depends on the individual. Shubman Gill should bat where he can contribute the most. You can’t copy anyone in the batting order.

It is about giving your best and how much it benefits the team. Learn from Virat’s mindset and include an extra bowler in the playing XI if needed. Leaders make sacrifices for the team,” Aakash Chopra said.

Under Kohli, India were runners-up in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021. Gill led India in the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe last year.

He has been leading the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. The team finished third in the league standings in the 18th season.