The second Test between England and India will commence from July 2 at Edgbaston.
The first Test between England and India is done and dusted. India squandered their chances, giving the game away in both their innings. The visitors became the first team in the history of Test cricket to lose after scoring five centuries in a match. After all that went down on the last day of the Test, there have been several narratives by many experts thrashing the players. The critics include comments on Shubman Gill doing a pretty dismal job on his very first assignment. India dropped about eight catches in the match and had no support from their lower order in terms of batting, which led to their downfall.
Having said that, former Indian player Mohammad Kaif had a different point of view. According to Kaif, Gill outsmarted English skipper Ben Stokes in terms of leadership. And hence, he expressed that the young Indian skipper needs more praise than criticism. He also went on to emphasise the fact that India played with one and a half bowlers, and Gill managed them well.
“As a young captain, Gill did brilliantly by giving Bumrah [Jasprit Bumrah] four overs [per spell] and rotating him well. He led better than Ben Stokes. He was a helpless captain because he was playing with one and a half bowlers in Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Gill used his resources well”, Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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The Indian skipper had some experience of playing on English soil, but none as a skipper. And his first outing was quite bittersweet. The 25-year-old got off to a blistering start in the match, scoring a wonderful 147 in the first innings. Tons from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant uplifted India’s total to a massive 471. Kaif also lauded Gill’s century under extreme pressure.
“I will praise him a lot because it was a big Test for him in this series, especially in England. He showed everyone that he can deliver with the bat, and surely silenced his critics”, Kaif added.
Post India’s traumatic loss to England, India’s new captain admitted that the plan was to set a target of around 430 runs. But the lower-middle order collapse never allowed India to get there. Moreover, he felt that bowlers gave their all, but the dropped catches played their part. India’s next assignment will be at Edgbaston, a venue which they have yet to conquer in Test cricket.
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