Mohammad Kaif Sparks Debate: “Shubman Gill Captained Better Than Ben Stokes”

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif feels Shubman Gill captained better than Ben Stokes in the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds. It was Gill’s first Test as India’s captain, and the 25-year-old also scored an impressive century in the first innings.

However, it was England who chased down 371 in the final innings to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. India suffered a major lower-order collapse in both innings, while Jasprit Bumrah did not receive enough support from the other bowlers. To make matters worse, India also dropped several catches, which ultimately cost them the game.

“As a young captain, Gill did brilliantly by giving Bumrah 4-4-over spells and rotating him well. He led better than Ben Stokes. Well done, thumbs up,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel, as reported by The Indian Express.

“Helpless captain because he was playing with one and a half bowlers. One is Bumrah, and the remaining half is Jadeja. There was no support from Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, or Shardul. You can’t win a Test match with just 1.5 bowlers. He captained very well and looked good to me. He used his resources well.”

Talking about Gill’s 147-run knock, Kaif added: “I will praise him a lot because it was a big Test for him in this series. It was important for him to score in England.

“Everyone said he doesn’t know how to play in England — that you made him captain but he hasn’t scored runs. But he passed the Test with the bat, scored a century, and batted excellently. Apart from captaincy, he showed that he can deliver with the bat.”

The second Test of the five-match series will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting July 2.