Head coach Gautam Gambhir urged everyone to give India Test skipper Shubman Gill “time” after he kicked off his captaincy stint with a bitter five-wicket defeat against England in the series opener at Headingley.
Gill immersed himself in the harsh reality of the red-ball format. His era as India’s Test captain began with the bitter taste of defeat despite seeing his side dominate the Three Lions for most of the contest.
India Lose Grip Despite Early Dominance
India pulled the strings of the fixture midway through day four and looked in pole position to stamp its first victory at the venue since 2002. However, a tail-end collapse for the second time and a lesson in a chase by England left Gill and India on the wrong side of the result.
After Gill’s era, without the batting behemoths Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, began on a forgettable note, Gambhir classified India’s youngest Test captain’s leadership as “phenomenal” and offered a reminder to critics that he has everything to be a successful captain.
Gambhir Hails Gill’s Leadership and Composure
“Look, first Test match, obviously, there are nerves. It’s a great honour. As he’s already mentioned, captaining the Test side, not many people get that opportunity, and he was phenomenal. More importantly, I think the way he batted in the first inning, obviously, I’m sure he would have had his own nerves, being the captain for the first time, and then getting a hundred,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
“So, everything that it takes for him to be a successful captain, we’ve got to just give him time. We’re still very early days, and he’s only the captain for the first time. I’m sure he’s going to get better. And these are tough places to captain. It’s like pushing someone into the deep sea, and I’m sure he’s going to come out as a proper professional,” he added.
Gill Impresses With the Bat Despite Pressure
While Gill’s on-field leadership qualities remained a subject of criticism for many, his magic with the bat in the first innings was enough to put his doubters to rest.
He was a regular tormentor of England’s pace attack, bereft of experience in the first innings. With his deputy Rishabh Pant on the other end, the duo raised a 195-run stand as Gill blazed his way to a sizzling ton.
The 25-year-old’s exploits at the crease concluded after he dragged the ball towards the deep square into the hands of Josh Tongue. He wanted to bring up his 150 in style but was forced to return on 147(227).
In the second innings, he left a couple of runs on the field after chopping the ball back onto his stumps, forcing him to return cheaply on 8(16). India found solace in KL Rahul and Pant’s blistering centuries, which powered India to 364.
England Script Historic Chase
In pursuit of a 371-run target, Ben Duckett’s fiery 149 and Joe Root’s composed 53* steered England past the finish line, sealing their second-highest chase in the format.
With India trailing 0-1 in the series, Gambhir shrugged off suggestions about deploying Bumrah in more than three Tests, stating that managing his workload is more “important.”
Gambhir on Bumrah’s Workload and India’s Bowling
“No, we won’t change the plans. I think for us, managing his workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward, and we know what he brings to the table as well. So, before he came to the tour, it was already decided that he was going to play three Test matches. But let’s see how his body turns out. We haven’t decided which two other Test matches he’s going to play,” Gambhir told reporters in the post-match press conference.
In the first innings, while dropped catching opportunities brutally hurt India’s chances, the lack of support from the other end exacerbated the situation. In the second innings, when Bumrah’s charm failed, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur emerged as the two unlikely heroes with two quick wickets each, but the ship had sailed by that point.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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