Shubman a captain material: Williamson

New Delhi:  New Zealand's batting mainstay Kane Williamson sees leadership roles for India and Gujarat Titans batter Shubman Gill in the future, calling him a "special player". Williamson said it was a matter of time before he blossomed on the international scene. "He had an incredible year, but you could always see that it was only a matter of time, the quality that he has, and that we have seen for a few years now," Williamson said on Wednesday.

"And just to have those experiences that you need to have as a young, extremely talented player and really put it together on the international stage and endorsed obviously in the IPL as well, like I say, it was a matter of time." Asked if he looks at Gill as a future leader, the New Zealander responded in the positive. "Yeah, most probably, I've only really just seen Shubman, played against them for a few years. And you could see the quality that he has, he's a really strong competitor as well. "So I'm sure he would be learning a lot from a number of leaders that he's been able to play under for a few years. He has a great understanding of the game. So, I suppose naturally, there might be leadership positions that might come his way."

Williamson is excited to see how the newly-introduced 'Impact Player' rule pans out, saying it will bring different dynamics to the game and change the way a team decides its playing XI. Under the 'Impact Player' rule, a batter or bowler can be replaced in the middle of the game as per the match situation, to make it more exciting. "It's quite a different dynamic. And often, when you're picking teams, you're always sort of weighing up one role or another. And yet, you kind of shape your side a certain way that having the ability to bring in an impact player kind of changes that a little bit," he told reporters.

"I guess it's all pretty new ground for everybody. So getting a feel for it, getting used to it, and sort of seeing how that pans out in terms of, how you shape, what you do as a side will be quite interesting to see. "It's a rule that all teams are going to try and use to their advantage, to the best of their ability. So it will be pretty interesting to see how it goes." According to the new playing conditions, the captains of IPL teams can name their playing XI after the toss instead of handing over team sheets before the spin of the coin. "It's different, it's changed there. I think every team will be trying to get their head around what it might look like and what sort of advantage they can get from making some good decisions around it.