How Shubman Gill Tactical Masterstoke Set Up Crucial Temba Bavuma Wicket in 1st IND vs SA Test

Shubman Gill showed tactical acumen to allow Kuldeep Yadav an early wicket during the first Test against South Africa. His field placement was superb, as if he premeditated what shot Temba Bavuma would play, and the move worked finely.

When Kuldeep Yadav was introduced in the attack, Gill gave him a slip, which is common, but he also put a short leg straight away. This is not so common because, usually, captains start with a leg slip for Kuldeep’s stock delivery that turns into RHBs.

But he had instead put a backward short leg in Dhruv Jurel, slightly forward to the traditional leg slip and wider as well. As it turned out, Bavuma tried to manoeuvre towards the mid-on region and pressed forward, but the ball drifted into him and got the inside edge.

It was bowled a bit slower and flew straight to the short leg, where Jurel completed a sharp catch since it came quicker to let the plan succeed. Obviously, Kuldeep and Jurel did the main part, but Shubman Gill deserves equal credit for his proactive field placement, showing he has been taking giant strides as a Test captain.

Shubman Gill receives praise from Sunil Gavaskar on commentary

Sunil Gavaskar was quick to pick this tactical masterstroke from Shubman Gill and immediately pointed it out while commentating on air. He highlighted how his field placement allowed Kuldeep Yadav to get a wicket early in his spell.

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“You’ve got to compliment Shubman Gill for that field placing. They have a leg slip (later corrected to backward short leg) in position. That is a very, very good tactical move. Have a look at that – a little bit of turn and straight down to that fielder at backward short leg. Excellent stuff from the bowler and superb stuff from the captain.”

Bavuma did well to play with a straight bat, but Gill knew the ball was keeping a bit low, which could lead to an inside edge. That’s exactly what transpired in the middle, as India got a big wicket.

India didn’t have a great start, but Gill was prudent to use his resources wisely, such as giving an extended spell to Bumrah or bringing Kuldeep ahead of Washington Sundar. He was aggressive with his tactics, and his field placements were bang on target throughout the session, as South Africa couldn’t run away with the game.

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