Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) India's new Test skipper Shubman Gill will have to lead from the front in absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but the young team should not be judged too early, feels spin bowling great Harbhajan Singh.

The 25-year-old Gill was on Saturday appointed as the full-time captain of the Indian team with Rishabh Pant as his deputy with the new World Test Championship cycle beginning with next month's England tour.

Also Read | Southampton vs Arsenal Premier League 2024-25 Free Live Streaming Online: How To Watch EPL Match Live Telecast on TV & Football Score Updates in IST?.

Harbhajan welcomed the choice of Gill as captain but said there are challenges ahead.

"Obviously it is a great move, having a young captain like Shubman Gill who has done well in franchise cricket," Harbhajan told PTI during the launch of TV show ‘Who's the Boss' on Sunday.

Also Read | Golden Boot 2025: Who Will Win European Golden Boot? Check List of Contenders Featuring Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski Among Others.

“But this is going to be a tough tour, England has never been an easy tour. I hope that Shubman, Rishabh Pant… this is a young team. There is no Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, suddenly there is a big gap in that team and that also needs to be filled, so Shubman will have to lead from the front,” he said.

Harbhajan said Gill's side should be given time to find their feet and not be judged too early in case they lose the series to England.

“I will also like to ask people to not start judging too early even if this tour doesn't go their way,” he said.

"It is okay even if they do not win, they will be learning (from it). I have the belief that all those who are going on this tour will get better,” Harbhajan added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)