India vs England: ‘My first objective is …’ – Shubman Gill’s turn to make some bold calls. Cricket news

Before India went in the first Test against England in Headingly, Shubman Gill said, “I see myself as a batsman. My first objective is to become the most run-scorer of the series.” Very clear in his thought process, Gill spoke. He became the fifth Indian to score centenary at the beginning of India’s captaincy. With the run on the board, someone felt that the initiation of the young man in carrying the soldiers would be a smooth. But during the next four days, things were not to be pan as it should be and India is now 0–1 in the series. While the captaincy burden did not affect Shubman to the batsman, it is clear that in the region, his leadership skills are still doing a task. There are still early days, but there is no doubt in England that leadership in England is a learning state for the age of 25, who is the fifth youngest India cricketer to become Test Captain. This is not easy when the opposition batting lineup is strong like England and the pitches are not suited to the bowler at all. If it was a subcontinent dust bowl, Gill might have found things a little easier, but the first test in Leeds suggested that the tour was going to be a baptism from the fire for him. Coach Gautam Gambhir said, “These are difficult places and it is like pushing someone into a deep sea. He batted well in the first innings and will learn on the job. While the coach has every reason for throwing his weight behind Gill, the way he used all -rounder Shardul Thakur, there were some raised eyebrows with him. In the first innings, when England batted for 101 overs, Shardul, playing as a bowling all -rounder, gave only six overs, which even after very late. It gave up an perception that Shubman lacks confidence in Shardul, not necessarily a positive sign.

Former India former India-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel said that to get out of Shardul, it was important that he first came to bowl within 40 overs. “Shardul is a good cricketer and is a good match with Root. When you are playing in England, the ball sometimes stops doing anything after the first 40 overs. If Shardul is playing, he should bowl more during that phase, ”Ashwin said.

Gill’s body language in the ground had a wind of assurance about it. He did not look much more than the situation, which showed that his leadership with Gujarat Titans in the IPL had helped. He is not really a Virat Kohli’s in-factor aggression, nor does his face cheat emotions, as it used to be with Rohit Sharma. In many ways, Gill is his own man, and even when things were getting tired 5 days, he did not lose his smile and did not allow the shoulders to drop. But the fifth morning may be a little criticism about his field placement, when India needed to be aggressive to take wickets. Since long ago, the slip Cordon was a clear indication that he was going on a defensive, which probably gave England openers Ben Docket and Zak Croly a slight mental lead.

There were some edges with Docket’s bat which went back in the back interval, something that could be avoided. Even in the latter half of the first innings, when Chris Woakes and Bridan Cars were making Meera, Gill delayed the re -introduction of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, with India’s cost around 50 runs. That stretch of the game showed a little immaturity in Gill’s captaincy, but then it cannot forget that the skipper cannot run Bumrah on the ground. This is not easy for a captain when bowling is not firing at all and is a fitness issue with the only X-factor bowler in Xi. In such a situation, Gill must take some bold decisions to move the captain, which may begin with the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in XI. Tiger Patodi, who returned to England in 1967, decided to play four spinners in the playing XI – a decision that later made a very difficult team to defeat India at home. In 2018, Virat Kohli’s turn to play with four pacers was another call that helped the team rule the red ball cricket for a brief phase. In the event of a crunch, such radical calls become a requirement and it should be seen whether Captain Gill is sufficient to cut the batting line-up and go with five real bowlers in the second test starting from July 2. It can give rise to either bouquets or brickbats, but then it is part of the most love job in Indian sports.