Shubman Gill Asked To Stop Copying Virat Kohli, Mind Language: 'Has Become A Trend'
Manoj Tiwary has slammed Shubman Gill for imitating Virat Kohli's aggressive style, using slang, and angry chats with umpires, saying it affects his team's performance.
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has asked Shubman Gill to stop trying to copy Virat Kohli and avoid using 'slang' and aggressive language towards opposition cricketers. He believes Gill badly represented his team by following the trend started by 'previous captains', which hurt his batting and his team's chances on the field.
Gill took over from Rohit Sharma just before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He had previously captained Gujarat Titans for two years in the IPL. His aggression has been on display since his under-19 and Punjab days, but got more limelight as he became more popular and a national candidate in IPL 2025.
In the Lord's Test, it went up a notch as he asked Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to 'grow some f****** balls' when he suspected the former of trying to waste time. Eventually, India lost the match narrowly and the moment was heavily blamed for turning the tide in England's favor.
SportsBoom. 'Ever since he became a captain in the IPL, I have noticed that he is getting into an aggressive mindset, and having animated chats with umpires. It was unlike Gill. He doesn't need to show that kind of aggression, and doesn't have to prove anything."
'He can stick to his style of being aggressive. It doesn't mean that you have to always give it back verbally. Aggression can also be shown by winning Test matches. India could have easily led the series 2-1. Such aggression is not good for the game, especially from the captain of the Indian cricket team," he added.
'I am not happy with the language and words that are coming in the audio when they are near the stumps. You are representing the Indian cricket team. I think this has become a trend, as previous captains have probably used such words to express their anger, but this needs to be controlled. If you use slang, the next generation will pick it up," the former Bengal cricketer added.
Before the fourth Test in Manchester, England's Harry Brook admitted that the incident united his team and helped them defend 193 in the final innings. With the series now 2-1 in England's favor, India will be desperate for a turnaround at Old Trafford, starting July 23.
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