Follow UsShubman Gill has been receiving a lot of flak for his captaincy in the first Test at Headingley, which India lost by five wickets. The Indian bowling was a major concern throughout the Test, as all bowlers except Jasprit Bumrah struggled quite a bit and leaked a lot of runs, apart from not being able to pick wickets on demand.
Experts believe that Gill’s captaincy was more reactive than proactive, as a result of which England batters could dominate the Indian bowling. Former Indian batter and broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar has now come forward with his criticism of Gill’s defensive captaincy in the first Test, and said that Virat Kohli would have reacted very differently.
“Overcast conditions, I know the ball wasn't doing too much, but they pre-empted the English approach and had a far too defensive field,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
“I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison because it's unfair on the young man, but you can just imagine Virat Kohli in that situation. Whether they would have got wickets or not, Kohli would have shown the opposition that he's trying to get them out. Gill is not that kind of personality, nor that kind of captain. But maybe don't go so defensive and preempt things.”
India will play the second Test from July 2 at Edgbaston.