‘Kohli Wouldn’t Have…’ – Former India Opener Slams Shubman Gill For Defensive Captaincy That Allowed England To Chase 371 at Headingley

India’s newly made skipper, Shubman Gill, came under the scanner due to his defensive approach on the final day of the first Test match against England at Headingley. The hosts managed to pull off their second-highest run chase and started the five-match series on a winning note. Many cricket pundits, including former players like Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri, blamed Gill due to his poor approach, as the English side chased down 371 with five wickets in hand.

Sanjay Manjrekar On Shubman Gill

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckoned that Gill was underconfident. Citing the fact that he commenced the final day under overcast conditions, he would not have placed such a defensive field as someone like Virat Kohli would have never done that.

“I think he was trying to trap England by cutting off boundaries, hoping the wickets would come eventually. I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison as Shubman Gill is a young captain but he would not have put such a defensive field. That’s different from someone like Virat Kohli, who might say: We have enough runs, I’ll get you all out before Tea. Whether he would have gotten wickets with an attacking field is guaranteed but he would have been at it,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.

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Ravi Shastri On Comms

Former India coach Ravi Shastri also commented on Gill’s captaincy. The former India player, who has seen the Indian team from close quarters, added that when Kohli led India, he brought a lot of heat on the opposition. 

“Someone has to do the Kohli job…and be in their faces. Someone has to be designated for the job. Probably not one, but three people. Kohli could do the job of three,” Shastri said while on broadcasting duty for the series.

Virat Kohli ended his Test career as one of India’s most successful red-ball captains, winning 40 of his 68 Test matches. Overall, the stalwart took part in 123 Tests and scored 9,230 runs, including 30 hundreds and 31 fifties. The Indian team will now lock horns against England in the second Test, starting from July 2nd at Edgbaston. The Gill-led side will look to make an impact this time after a forgettable outing in the first Test.

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