Shubman Gill is on cloud nine. And why wouldn’t he be? The guy, all of 25 years old, was ridiculed, taunted and whatnot after being appointed India’s Test captain in May. He did not have an overseas Test record to be proud of, and with no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it was almost as if India had been blanked 0-4 even before the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. However, here we are, 45 days after the start of the series, with Gill standing tall with a 2-2 draw against England. Yes, the trophy might have been shared, but don’t even for a solitary second think that this is anything less than a win.
Gill led from the front, scoring 754 runs at an incredible average of 75-plus and four centuries. Called out for his batting, his form, and his captaincy, Gill silences all his doubters and then some with a show for the ages. Defending 374, India were almost out of it when Joe Root and Harry Brook were going hammer and tongs, before a resurgent fightback from Gill, India, and its bowlers scripted a memorable win at The Oval. Mohammed Siraj picked up a five-wicket haul to bowl England out for 354 and win the match by a narrow margin of six runs. And righty, Gill sported a confident look as he addressed the post-match presentation ceremony, once again, holding his calm.
“The way both teams played was great. Came into the final days not knowing the result, showing both teams came with their A game. Captaincy looks easy when you have bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh like that. I think the way we responded today was magnificent. We were confident, even yesterday, we knew there under pressure. We wanted to make sure it stayed throughout,” Gill said.
“Siraj is a captain’s dream. Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled. 2-2 is a fair reflection. It shows how passionate both teams were and how well they played. Very rewarding, my aim was to be the best batter this series and getting there is very satisfying. It’s always a matter of sorting things out technically and mentally, they are correlated. Learnings from the last six week: We never give up.”
What a start to Shubman Gill’s captaincy tenure
Captaining in England is never easy, especially when you’re an Indian captain. After all, there’s a reason why India have not won a Test series in England since 2007 when Rahul Dravid ended a 21-year long wait. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had their opportunities, but the results were disappointing: a 0-4 loss in 2011, a 1-3 defeat in 2014, a 1-4 thrashing in 2018, and a 2-2 draw. Gill, in his debut as Test captain, achieved what took Kohli eight four years to accomplish and what Dhoni never fully managed.
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