The hosts are currently leading by 186 with three wickets in hand in the first innings.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up about the leadership errors by Shubman Gill following England’s match-turning 186-run lead in the first innings with three wickets in hand after Day 3 of the fourth ENG vs IND Test. The hosts will resume play at 544/7 on Day 4 at the Old Trafford Stadium.
The former batter questioned the newly appointed skipper for bringing in Washington Sundar late into the attack in the first innings. Notably, Gill handed him the ball on the 69th over of the innings when the hosts had already piled up 305/2 in response to India’s 358. This late introduction proved to be more costly after the all-rounder struck with the dismissals of Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession.
“He took four wickets in the last game. Then you bring that bloke after 67, 69 overs. I mean, what does it tell that player? Here, I’ve taken four. I should be like a front-runner, bowling within the first 30, 35 overs. And you’re getting me on after 69. And then he takes the first two wickets,” said Shastri to Sky Sports.
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He also disagreed with the captain’s choice to hand over the new ball to the debutant Anshul Kamboj, instead of an experienced Mohammed Siraj. Previously, the pacer bagged a six-wicket haul in the first innings at the Edgbaston Stadium, which is India’s only win in the five-match series so far.
“I thought Siraj should have taken the new ball yesterday. Instead of giving it to Kamboj, who’s new, playing his first Test match. That let the pressure off England. Then the bouncer tactic, which they’re 24 hours late. That should have been tried yesterday to see if they could have made further inroads. So tactically a lot was missing,” added Shastri.
The former coach, who guided India to the maiden World Test Championship (WTC) Final in 2021, also compared the new skipper with arguably the best Test captain India has ever witnessed. However, Shastri acknowledged the 25-year-old’s learning period, while emphasising the former India captain Virat Kohli’s aggressive mindset. Notably, this is first major assignment of Gill after captaining the national side against Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series last year.
“He was the other way, as far as Shubman goes. He was extra, ultra-aggressive. It was a case of as if you wanted five wickets every session of play. It doesn’t happen. Sometimes you’ve got to respect the conditions and set fields accordingly. And that’s why I think the team management becomes now crucial in helping someone like Shubman Gill over the first year and a half,” opined the former coach.
However, Gill and the team would hope to brush off the English tail early on Day 4 before they manage to increase the run-load to mount more pressure on a young visiting side. But this could prove to be a tough task with England skipper Ben Stokes resuming his innings on 77 alongside all-rounder Liam Dawson on 21.
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