As Shubman Gill fronted the press pack in Perth, with the picturesque Swan River behind him, several locals passing by looked on curiously as if they could not quite pinpoint exactly who he was.

Gill, clearly, does not yet quite have the global stature of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma . But that should soon change, with him holding the top leadership posts for India in Tests and ODIs. As the new poster boy of Indian cricket, Gill and his counterpart Mitchell Marsh are plastered on the marketing signs around the city to promote the ODI series opener between Australia and India at Optus Stadium.

It represents a transition for India as they start building towards the 2027 World Cup, a tournament where they will hope to end a 16-year wait for the title.

Gill, 26, has cut a relaxed

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