Virat Kohli would have said, 'I'll get England all out before Tea': Shubman Gill's defensive captaincy under fire
Shubman Gill's defensive captaincy on Day 5 of the India vs England first Test came under the scanner as England pulled off their second-highest run chase to get off to a winning start in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Gill, in his first match as India's Test captain, was blamed for being too defensive and following the ball as England chased down 371 with five wickets in the bank. India's Virat Kohli (L) and Shubman Gill(AFP)
"Most people felt Shubman Gill went too defensive. But I think he was trying to trap England by cutting off boundaries, hoping the wickets would come eventually," said former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on JioHotstar.
Gill started Day 5 under overcast conditions with too many boundary riders, which Manjrekar believed someone like Virat Kohli would never have done. That allows a team to get away without much pressure from close-in fielders.
"I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison as Shubman Gill is a young captain but he would not have put such a defensive field. That's different from someone like Virat Kohli, who might say: We have enough runs, I'll get you all out before Tea. Whether he would have gotten wickets with an attacking field is guaranteed ut he would have been at it," Manjrekar said.
The former India batter agreed that Gill did not have the same bowling attack at his disposal as Kohli did with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma firing in cylinders.
"Gill doesn't have the same seam attack as England—though they don't have Bumrah but English team has more all-round options. Even with Jadeja, I felt India should've started with a standard field rather than pre-empting reverse sweeps. You want to start with attacking intent—even if only for a few overs—before going defensive. That said, I don't want to be overly critical of Shubman. He's a new captain, and we should be understanding of that," he added. Ben Duckett takes advantage of India's toothless attack
Anchored by a sublime 188-run opening stand between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, the home side displayed a more mature version of their famed "Bazball" approach, blending aggression with discipline.
Resuming on 21-0 on a gloomy morning, England were up against the odds, needing 350 more. But Duckett (149) and Crawley (65) calmly blunted India's attack, reaching lunch unscathed at 117-0. The pair's stand was the fifth-highest opening partnership in a fourth innings in Test history and the first time an England opening duo surpassed 2,000 career runs together since Cook and Strauss.
Despite a brief post-lunch wobble—India striking thrice in quick succession through Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur—England remained composed. After Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Ben Stokes with 69 runs still needed, nerves briefly crept in. But Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) saw the hosts home in style, the latter finishing with a towering six over long-on.
India had chances: Duckett was dropped on 97 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Crawley survived a return chance to Bumrah. But England capitalised on every mistake. Root's calmness and Smith's confident strokeplay extinguished any late Indian hopes.
This was England's 12th successful chase in 18 Tests under coach Brendon McCullum, showcasing not recklessness but refined aggression. The match, only the third in Test history where all four innings topped 350, thrilled throughout.
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