Former India cricketer Saba Karim has said that Test skipper Shubman Gill showed the right kind of respect to the national flag with his century on captaincy debut against England at Headingley on Friday, adding that leadership suits him, with the youngster’s knock changing narratives around his overseas numbers. Playing his first Test as captain, Gill conjured up a sublime unbeaten 127 that was packed with glorious drives. India ended Day 1 of the Headingley Test at a solid 359/3, making the English attack look pedestrian. “It was the right confluence of patience and aggression. The tricolour you are seeing behind, Captain Gill showed the right respect to the national flag today. What better knock can you play on your first day as captain, that too at a place where Shubman hasn’t scored runs,” Karim said while speaking on Sony Sports. “He hadn’t scored too many runs in SENA countries. He showed on the first day itself that captaincy suits him. Until a batter captain scores runs, he can’t earn respect from his dressing room,” Karim added. The former Indian cricketer said that Gill repaid Ajit Agarkar & Co. for the faith they showed in him by giving him the leadership reins. The home bowlers bowled full on the ‘middle and off’ line, and Gill negotiated the challenge with brilliant ease, transferring his weight on the shots for some sublime drives in the ‘V’ region. “That’s why this first step he has taken is splendid. This will increase his confidence, and his teammates will feel that the chosen leader will show them the right path. The selectors have shown a huge leap of faith in Shubman Gill, and they have shown it with the confidence that similar batting will be seen in the upcoming knocks as well,” Karim said. The series is being touted as the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket with the Gill-led team travelling without the legendary Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. On Saturday, June 21, Gill would look to extend his partnership with Rishabh Pant and also score a daddy hundred himself.