The coronation - or perhaps that should be confirmation as he twice led the side on their summer tour - of Grant Gilchrist as Scotland captain for the forthcoming November Tests is recognition of his qualities as a leader, but it says just as much of his talents as a player that the 24-year-old lock has been given the honour despite playing in one of the most hotly contested positions on the pitch.

There are no guarantees in this game, but there is still a lot of truth in the old saw that the first thing a captain must do is be pretty sure of his place. Over the past 12 months, seven different players have either started in the second row for Scotland or provided cover for the bench, and for most of that period it has been thought that Jim Hamilton and Richie Gray were the natural first-choices in the positions.

Hamilton has now been jettisoned, as has Al Kellock, another of that seven. That might appear to make things a little easier for Gilchrist, but the fact of the matter is that he still has some pretty impressive rivals for the boilerhouse berths.

The Gray brothers, Jonny and Richie, are still there, as is Tim Swinson. Kieran Low can do a shift at lock if needed. Dave Denton can do one if forced.

Clearly, coach Vern Cotter has been impressed by the willingness of Gilchrist to take responsibility, particularly in the area of calling the lineout. He will also have heard positive reports from Alan Solomons, the Edinburgh coach, after Gilchrist took over from the injured Mike Coman as captain of the capital side against Bordeaux-Begles last Friday evening and led his team to a remarkable 15-13 European Challenge Cup victory over the French side.

Gilchrist has also shown an admirable appetite for self-improvement since his emergence around four years ago.

A MacPhail scholar in 2011, he returned from New Zealand almost visibly buzzing with excitement about what he had learned during his time there. Even now, he talks with uplifting enthusiasm of the business of becoming a better player.

A couple of seasons ago, the soft-featured lock seemed improbably innocent in the grizzled company of others who were vying for selection, but he has unquestionably grown into the role of an international forward since then.

"I think there has been a lot of growth," said Gilchrist. "It didn't click overnight. It was a lot of years of help, from guys like Sean Cox, who did a lot with me at Edinburgh, and big Jim [Hamilton] over the summer and on previous Scotland camps where I didn't figure but had been around.

"I've learned a lot from these guys and now I have the confidence to call lineouts and lead, it's something that feels pretty natural to me.

"I don't think you grow up thinking you'll be captain, it's just something you naturally put your hand up to do. You do things in the game, take the lead in training, make sure the team are headed in the right direction. It's not something that you have in your head, it's just something you do."

It would be pushing it to say that either Ross Ford or Kelly Brown slipped into the captaincy role quite as comfortably as Gilchrist. Even so, it is startling that Cotter has decided he can dispense with Brown at this point. The Saracens blindside has been putting in some typically hard-working shifts, and his combination of experience and versatility is not to be sniffed at.

Brown, now 32, might reasonably have expected to draw his Scotland career to a close at the World Cup next year; given his skills and his selfless character, few could be comfortable with the idea that it is over already.

"A lot of good people and good players have missed out," Cotter conceded. "It goes to show the competition for places, especially at loose forwards. All we can say to the players that have missed out is that they are one step away from being called back through injury. All they can do is prepare themselves as best as possible if we do get an injury.

"You never know. When they get the call-up they will have to play particularly well and put pressure on to make sure of selection next time."

The omission of John Barclay is, arguably, even more puzzling. At 28, he is not exactly in his dotage, and he has been in outstanding form for Scarlets this year. "We have gone for players who have been playing well," replied Cotter when asked about the flanker. The politest thing you could say was it was that his reasoning seemed a bit flawed.

"It was tough for John as well," Cotter added. "We are aware of what he has been doing. We had to make tough calls over good people with the players who have missed out."

Throughout, the indications are that Cotter is looking to create a style based around old-fashioned Scottish virtues of pace and mobility. In almost every area he has gone for players with good engines. Perhaps his most telling observation yesterday concerned his selection of Fraser Brown to the exclusion of Pat MacArthur, when most Glasgow followers, and possibly Glasgow coaches, would take a different view of the pecking order at hooker.

"Fraser has played very well this season," said Cotter, conveniently overlooking the fact that he has only actually started two games for Glasgow. "He's been consistent in lineout and scrum, consistent about the pitch, we like what he brings around the paddock. And we feel we can build a game around him."

All in all, there was no doubt that a new era had dawned at Murrayfield yesterday. Cotter took charge of Scotland's summer tour, but he was effectively running someone else's show as he had little input to selection. From now on, the buck really does stop with him.