"Where Is Shubman Gill Headed?" Skipper's 'Virat Kohli Stunt' Shredded To Pieces

NDTV

18-07-2025

Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes India captain Shubman Gill's batting was affected after he had a go at England players in the final moments of Day 3 of the third Test at Lord's, reported ESPNcricinfo. Temperament frayed, fingers were pointed, emotions ran thin as the element of spice entered the picture. In the last three days of the pulsating Test, India and England players engaged in heated conversations, which added another layer of entertainment in the battle for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
It all started with Gill screaming at Zak Crawley in the final moments of the third day. He felt the lanky English opener was trying to run down the clock to deny India the opportunity of bowling a second over. Indian players joined the skipper's lead, and it turned out to be the breaking point. When Gill came out to bat in the final hour of the fourth day, the England players gave it back as the 25-year-old fell for 6(9).
Manjrekar underscored the impact of Gill's on-field behaviour on him as a batter. He cited the example of former India captain Virat Kohli to put things into perspective.
"The thing with Virat Kohli was that he would get even more fired up and become a better batter [if things got nasty]. What disappointed me with Shubman Gill and that is why I was wondering, where is Shubman Gill heading? Because that seemed like it didn't have the right effect on Shubman Gill the batter," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day.
"He came out looking very tentative and, you know, these days we are privy to the stump mic and we could hear the things being said and there were some personal attacks made. This could be a new experience for Shubman Gill because these days, as you can see, you know, with Indian players, there's mostly friendly reception from a lot of foreign teams. So this was new territory. And he looked tentative and wasn't up for it," he added.
Gill arrived at Lord's with three centuries, turned one of them into his career best 269 and 458 runs from two Tests. The conditions were much difficult than the ones he faced in Leeds and Birmingham. In the second innings, the ball was hard and new, compared to the old and soft ones that he had encountered.
The attention of England players that Gill attracted to himself contributed to his cheap dismissal during India's pursuit of a 193-run target. The visitors misfired despite a stubborn act from Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. India succumbed to a 22-run defeat and trails England 1-2 in the five-match series.
"We saw it pan out in the way he batted. Because these were deliveries, good deliveries, but he's negotiated beautifully through his marathon run as a batter through the series. And suddenly he was missing those balls. There was a review situation as well. Next ball, there was a leg before. Going through Shubman Gill's defence has been hard work. He has hardly missed a ball. The control percentage has been brilliant. And suddenly, in about nine deliveries [in the second innings], he's missed four. I have no doubt that there is a connection there," Manjrekar said.
"And just to extend on that point, if Shubman Gill had that kind of a fiery side to him, we would have seen it a little earlier. You don't have to show it when you're the captain. Or did he show it because he's got this confidence now that he's won a Test match, and he's got so many runs? Because with Virat Kohli, you could see that he was ready for a scrap. He was always waiting to get in the thick of things. Even when he wasn't a captain, you could see him coming in there. So that was a trait that we'd seen even before he was captain. With Shubman Gill, I've never seen it before," he added.
According to Manjrekar, the 25-year-old has exceeded everyone's expectations in his first assignment as India Test captain. He believes the eight-day gap will be fruitful for him to analyse the type of captain he wants to be.
"I think this break of eight days is perfect for him. There are a lot of good people around him. His father [who played a big part as he grew up pursuing a career in cricket], in fact, would know him, would know his child, whether he's a Virat Kohli, potential Virat Kohli or [MS] Dhoni or somewhere in between. I'm guessing somewhere in between. So he's got to find his own way. But whatever way that is, it's got to be a way that will enhance his leadership qualities and make him a better batter," Manjrekar said.