India's Batting Plan for 2nd Test vs England?
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Hindustan Times
11 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Shubman Gill proves he is the right man to lead India, but questions linger over who has the final say in Playing XI
This clearly is Shubman Gill's side. Any doubts pertaining to the 25-year-old's ability to hold his own as Test captain have been emphatically dispelled following the 2-2 draw in England in which Gill himself was adjudged India's Player of the Series by England coach Brendon McCullum. How much would you rate Shubman Gill's captaincy out of 10?(PTI) By his own admission, there were justified question marks over his Test record outside Asia. By amassing 754 runs in his maiden outing, and that too in a land which has historically challenged batters more than any other country in the world, Gill has reiterated his propensity to thrive in, rather than be bogged down by, leadership responsibility. That an overwhelming run with the bat was backed up by his young colleagues holding Ben Stokes' team to an honourable deadlock meant Gill ticked most boxes, even if questions will linger over who has the final say in the playing XI. Understandably, there was a touch of apprehension about how a new-look batting line-up, without retired stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, would acquit itself. Not too shabbily, is the universal verdict. India boasted 12 centuries from five Tests, the captain himself leading the way. His four hundreds were complemented by twin centuries each from deputy Rishabh Pant, the seasoned KL Rahul and the exciting Yashasvi Jaiswal, while left-handers Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar pulled the fat out of the fire with their respective tons during a match-saving unbroken double-century partnership in Manchester. Also Read: Brendon McCullum didn't want to give Player of the Series to Shubman Gill, picked Siraj in last moment change but… India piled up 350 or more in eight of their ten innings, unprecedented in Test history. Agreed, the belters laid out for three of the five matches facilitated this staggering record, but you can only play the conditions you are presented with. In unquestionably the most demanding batting track at the Oval, India still held their own despite being asked to bat on day one and despite conceding a 23-run advantage, 396 in the second innings, putting the issue beyond England's reach, if only just. Kuldeep Yadav relegated to the sidelines but it didn't cost the team too much After their twin bitter experiences at Headingley in the first Test, when they suffered collapses of seven for 41 and six for 32 to surrender an 'unlosable' game where they had five centuries and where Jasprit Bumrah took five first-innings wickets, India opted for batting depth at the altar of specialist bowling options, which consistently relegated left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to the sidelines. In the final analysis, it didn't cost the team too much; hindsight is 20-20, and there is no gainsaying how the series would have panned out had Kuldeep played. Perhaps, Gill ought to get the benefit of doubt for being a little conservative in his first shot at captaincy. Also Read: 'There are going to be shots taken at me'; Shubman Gill gives smashing reply after his captaincy credentials doubted Kuldeep will definitely be back in the mix for the next two series, both two-Test affairs at home against West Indies (October) and South Africa (November), where all things being equal, he should form a three-pronged spin force alongside Jadeja and Washington. India's last home series was an unmitigated and unparalleled disaster; the 0-3 hammering at the hands of New Zealand heralded the beginning of the end of Rohit's captaincy and Test career. Gill will quietly fancy his team's chances of coming away unscathed against the Caribbeans, whose fall from grace was confirmed during a 3-0 loss in their backyard to Australia last month, as well as against the reigning World Test Champions, who will offer sterner resistance but are still susceptible to quality spin. Pace won't be so much in demand at home, and India have only one truly tough pace-friendly away assignment left in this WTC cycle – in New Zealand late next year – and Gill will do well to use this time judiciously. The once-vibrant pace cupboard is starting to look frayed and threadbare. Fitness issues continue to dog Akash Deep, Bumrah's back will remain a constant source of concern and scrutiny, and the back-up is only borderline encouraging. Too many young Indian pacers have started to pick up non-cricketing injuries for it not to be termed a trend. Prasidh Krishna's emergence as an aggressive option is a welcome development, though he can't afford to keep going at five runs to the over. Gill is intelligent enough to understand that while he can only work with the resources at his disposal, he can be more proactive and touch base, in conjunction with head coach Gautam Gambhir, with the Centre of Excellence (previously NCA) boss VVS Laxman to ensure that a once-productive assembly line rediscovers its halcyon days. Gill's first examination as skipper would have been an unqualified success had India seized at least half the crucial moments they frittered away. But he has done more than enough to suggest that he is the right man to lead the Indian team forward. That, more than anything else, is vitally reassuring.
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First Post
40 minutes ago
- First Post
What is the secret behind Shubman Gill's record-breaking run in England Test series? Gujarat Titans assistant coach explains
Shubman Gill had a poor record with the bat in England ahead of his maiden assignment as India Test captain. The 25-year-old, however, would thrive under the burden of captaincy in the five-Test series, breaking multiple records while amassing 754 runs and leading his side to a 2-2 series draw. read more Advertisement India captain Shubman Gill slammed four centuries while amassing 754 runs in the five-match Test series against England. Reuters Shubman Gill did not have the best of numbers in England ahead of his first assignment as India Test captain – the five-match series against Ben Stokes' side that concluded on Monday . Gill had scored 88 runs at an average under 15 in three Test appearances, leading to serious doubts over his ability to deliver with the bat under the added pressure of captaincy in the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Gill didn't just deliver as a batter against England while captaining India to a 2-2 draw – the second consecutive time a five-match series between these two teams concluded with this scoreline. He ended up smashing multiple records en route to finishing with a staggering 754 runs at an average of 75.40 , collecting four centuries along the way including a career-best 269 in the second Test at Edgbaston. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What exactly was the key to his success with the bat, that too in a new role as he succeeded former captain Virat Kohli at the No 4 spot following the latter's Test retirement? GT assistant coach reveals Gill's preparation for England trip Naeem Amin, the London-based assistant coach of the Gujarat Titans franchise that Gill leads in the Indian Premier League, revealed that the 25-year-old had one eye on the crucial tour of England during the 18th IPL season that preceded it, going to the extent of practising with shiny new red balls in the nets. 'And the bit that you will find interesting was him keen to practice just against a new ball. As soon as the new ball would become a little bit old, he'd change it for another new ball,' Amin told The Indian Express. Amin also credited Gill's desire to learn from the best as a key factor behind his success, citing the example of him picking Kane Williamson's brain during the former New Zealand captain and batting icon's two-season stint with the franchise. 'His appetite always puts cricket first, and in that aspect, he is second to none. When Kane Williamson (former New Zealand captain and world's leading modern-day batsman) was in our team (GT), he was asking him about his thoughts all the time. 'How would you go about this or that? Why are you doing this drill? How does it benefit you?' Amin added. Thanks to the work he put in ahead of the tour, Gill ended up breaking a couple of Sunil Gavaskar's records – the most runs in a Test series by an Indian captain as well as the most runs in a match in the Test format. And it was his red-hot run during the series, combined with the heroics of other individuals such as senior pacer Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, that nearly helped India win a Test series on English soil for the first time in 18 years.
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First Post
40 minutes ago
- First Post
Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy better than Ashes 2005? R Ashwin, Monty Panesar weigh in
With the India-England Test series ending in a gripping 2-2 draw, comparisons with the legendary Ashes 2005 have taken over cricket circles. Former players R Ashwin and Monty Panesar weighed in on the debate. read more It's human nature to compare, and the recently concluded, thrilling India vs England Test series is no exception, with former cricketers comparing it to the iconic 2005 Ashes. Legendary Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that the 2025 five-match Test series between India and England that ended with a scoreline of 2-2 on Monday after the visitors won the final match at Oval on the last day was even better than the Ashes 2005. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD England's 2-1 Ashes 2005 win was their first since 1986-87, but the on-field drama, confrontations, and close matches made it a legendary contest. Ashwin: IND vs ENG better series than Ashes 2005 Ashwin, who retired from Test cricket last year, feels the 2025 India vs England series is 'slightly better than even the 2005 Ashes' as the latest series had a number of imperfections. 'A lot of people are comparing this series with the 2005 Ashes, but I think this series was slightly better than even the 2005 Ashes – because there was so much more imperfection, from both sides,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 'If you look at that Australian team, there was Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, you had Michael Kasprowicz, Shaun Tait. From this side [England] you had Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, you had Ashley Giles. There was a lot of experience in the bowling attacks. There was experience in the batting too. There was a lot of hard-fought cricket, where you couldn't see a lot of mistakes. It was hard-fought.' Also Read | India player ratings for England Tests: Heroes and duds as Shubman Gill and Co secure thrilling 2-2 Test series draw Explaining the imperfections, Ashwin said that the way players fought back on numerous occasions made the series a riveting affair. 'In this series, there were a lot of mistakes,' Ashwin added. 'But the young players have corrected their mistakes and gotten better through the series. You had somebody like KL Rahul who's not put a foot wrong in the series. Then you had somebody like a Rishabh Pant or Shubman Gill, who made errors – both got run out once – they played some poor shots and got out at the crucial moments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In the bowling too, Mohammed Siraj has had some down spells, Prasidh [Krishna] has had some ordinary spells. England have bowled poorly, but have fought back through Ben Stokes. So there has been a lot of imperfection. There was a lot of perfection in the 2005 Ashes, but we got to see a lot of imperfection in this series. Also Read | Gavaskar compares workload debate to jawans at border, drops ODI captaincy hint 'And that's the beauty of it. Players corrected their vulnerabilities, and made this series like a festival for us. [For] anyone who paid money to go watch the match, no one would say they didn't have their money's worth. Twenty-five days of riveting cricket, and I could give anything to watch this series, I have not missed a moment.' Monty Panesar compares IND vs ENG to Ashes 2005 Former England spinner Monty Panesar felt it was the 'most exciting series' since the 2005 Ashes. 'It's been a famous victory for India. They played brilliant, brilliant cricket. And yesterday, we kind of thought when Joe Root and Harry Brook were batting that this was out of their reach. But the conditions this morning obviously favoured India with the seam positions, and the key was that they didn't take the new ball. And with the old ball, Siraj was amazing, and Krishna, as well, got that length a bit fuller. And it's a famous victory, probably the most exciting series since 2005, between England and Australia,' Panesar told IANS. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
