Shubman Gill's Virat Kohli-style aggression triggered England's beast mode: Moeen

India Today

17-07-2025

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes Shubman Gill's aggressive on-field demeanour during the Lord's Test was reminiscent of Virat Kohli's fiery intensity - and may have unintentionally brought out a more formidable version of the England side.Speaking during an interaction on Wednesday while playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Global Super League (GSL), Moeen said: "My take is, it's fine. I think he's just trying to be competitive in front of a fight and very similar to Virat, I think it's fine."advertisementHowever, Moeen felt that Gill's approach may have stirred England into upping their game.
"But then, obviously the other team, what you've done is, I think you've actually brought out the best of England and the fight and that beast England can be," he said."And I think it's a different side of England. They've shown all the players that it's great for the series to win. I don't know why it's getting criticised."Gill has been one of India's standout performers in the series, notching a century at Headingley and following it up with a record-breaking ton and a double hundred in the second Test at Birmingham - a match India won convincingly by 336 runs. However, his performance dipped at Lord's, where he scored 16 and 6, and was involved in verbal duels with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.Former India players Sanjay Manjrekar and Mohammad Kaif have both suggested that Gill's aggressive approach at Lord's may have backfired.India ultimately fell short by 22 runs in the third Test, dismissed for 170 while chasing 193, despite a spirited lower-order fightback led by Ravindra Jadeja.Moeen, who has shared the Chennai Super Kings dressing room with Jadeja in the IPL, praised the Indian all-rounder's batting, though acknowledged his lack of wickets this series."He just knows what he's doing. I think he's done it for many years. I think he's been amazing with the bat this series, obviously," Moeen said."I think with the ball, he hasn't quite got the wickets, but he does what he does. He's very tight. He can bowl, but he's not outstanding... I think now he's at the peak of his batting. Bowling wise, I think he just doesn't have the wickets. With the tally, I think he's bowled well, he just doesn't have the wickets."The calls for Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion in the playing XI have been growing louder, and Moeen echoed the sentiment, albeit cautiously."I would like to see Kuldeep in the team, but I don't know who for. Washington's bowled well, Jadeja batted well. So it makes it difficult to bring Kuldeep Yadav in the side. I would like to see Kuldeep in, but I don't think they can fit him in."advertisementReflecting on the closely-fought Lord's Test, Moeen credited England's composure, especially in the third innings, for tilting the match in their favour."I think, at Lord's it can happen. Because there's always something for the ball, even though the period where it looked easy for batting, there's always a few periods where... it makes it a little bit difficult.""I think KL (Rahul) played really well on that wicket. But I think it was obviously a very close game."England, having weathered challenging conditions on the opening morning and posting 387 in the first innings, managed to secure a narrow lead that proved crucial."I think we were lucky, it was even to the closer level. England just scored a few more runs in the third innings, which was probably easier than it was in the four innings," Moeen noted."But I think the first morning at Lord's, when it was doing a bit more, I thought England got through that period nicely. And I think to be 387 in the first innings there and in that situation, I think was a lot right."As the five-match series continues, Gill's combative streak, England's resilience, and India's selection puzzles are all contributing to what is shaping up to be a thrilling contest between two evenly matched sides.- EndsYou May Also Like