Karun Nair explains how Shubman Gill ‘exemplified the spirit of Gauti bhai’ after India manage to hold England to a draw

Shubman Gill made his Test captaincy debut in the recently concluded India vs England five-match series, which ended in a draw. Trailing 1-2, India needed to win the final fixture, and they did so in a dramatic manner. Before the series even began, India were struck with a selection headache, as skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from the longest format.

The team announcement saw a new generation of cricketers take over the mantle as Gill got the captaincy and Rishabh Pant was named as vice-captain.

It wasn’t just his captaincy that received praise, it was also his batting as he led from the front. He ended the series as the highest run-scorer with 754 runs, which also saw him smack a double hundred and a ton in the same fixture at Edgbaston.

Karun Nair hails Shubman Gill’s captaincy

Karun Nair, who made his long-awaited international comeback in the series, hailed Gill’s captaincy. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, he said, “The way Shubman held everyone together and the encouragement he gave was great to see. He was crystal clear with his communication from the beginning. To achieve what he did as a batter, while also leading the team…as a leader, he exemplified the spirit of Gauti bhai.”

Nair also gave some insight into Rishabh Pant’s moment of walking out to bat with a broken toe. He said, “Then to see Rishabh walk out to bat with a broken toe – it was one of the moments of the series. It was astonishing for everyone to see. It told you what a great player he is, and more importantly, the person he is. That kind of exemplified the philosophy of the team. Of putting everything first for the team, it’s not about individuals.”

Nair had a bittersweet experience in the series as he could only muster 205 runs and bagged only a fifty. He did get good starts throughout the series, but could never capitalise.