Shubman Gill After Leading India To 2-2 Vs England: 'Captaincy Seems Easy...'
Shubman Gill was named India's player of the series in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, leading India to a 2-2 draw against England.
Shubman Gill was a happy man for being adjudged India's player of the series, chosen by England coach Brendon McCullum, as well as leading his side to a 2-2 draw in a five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
The young Indian skipper said every game went into the final day, which shows both sides came with their A-game, adding that captaincy becames easier when with bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh in the side.
'Definitely both the teams played brilliantly throughout the series. Both the teams came up with their A game, happy to get on the right side today. WHen you have bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh, captaincy seems easy. They were making the ball talk.
Gill said India were confident even on Day 4 despite being under the pump, saying that after a couple of wickets fell, they knew England were under pressure.
'Yes, there was a bit of pressure on us but they were really bowling well. We were confident. We wanted them to feel the pressure throughput the 37 runs they scored.
When asked about having Siraj, who was adjudged the player of the match for his 5-wicket haul, in his team, he Said: 'He is a captain's dream, every ball, every spell he bowled he came all out and gave it everything for the team."
'It is always a combination of technique and mentality, when you are feeling good mentally then the technique naturally flows," he added.
As for what he learnt from the series, Gill's sharp reply was: 'That we never give up."
What Happened In India Vs England Series?
India secured an impressive six-run victory over England in the thrilling fifth and final Test on Monday, achieving a commendableled with intense competition between the two cricketing giants.
Mohammed Siraj (5/104) was the standout performer for India with a remarkable bowling display, finishing the series with 23 wickets, the highest among both teams.
Chasing a record target of 374, England were at 339 for six when bad light and rain led to an early end on the fourth evening.
India swiftly took the remaining four wickets, concluding England's second innings at 367 in 85.1 overs.
England won the opening match by five wickets at Leeds, but India responded strongly with a commanding 336-run victory in the second match at Birmingham. The hosts then regained their lead by narrowly defeating the Shubman Gill-led visitors by 22 runs at Lord's.
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She won the British Ladies Championship in 1933 by a spectacular three-point margin, scoring 10 wins, one draw, and no losses. In The Encyclopaedia of Chess (1970), British chess champion Anne Sunnucks notes: 'It has not been possible to trace either the first name or initials of Miss Fatima of India, who won the title in 1933'. The English weekly, Hastings and St Leonards Observer, reported on August 12, 1933: 'History was made at Hastings Chess Club this week when the British Chess Championship and the British Women's Championship were each won by Indian competitors. Mir Sultan Khan secured the men's championship…and the women's championship was won by the young Indian lady player, Miss Fatima, who held an unbeaten record throughout the contest. This remarkable victory of East over West makes the first British championship contest to be held in Hastings since 1904'. The same report described Miss Fatima as a 'charming devotee of the game' who was 'modest about her success.' Media reports of the time claimed that she was born between 1912-1914, and had been in England for about five years in the household of Sir Umar. The Western Morning News, in an August, 1933, report titled 'Indian Girl of 21-Winner of British Women's Chess Championship', described her as a woman with 'faultless features' who had won nine of 10 games despite having far more experienced opponents. It ended, stating: 'No such score has ever been made in a series of similar contests extending over nearly 30 years. Unfortunately this is likely to be her last tournament in England…she is returning to India shortly'. The Hastings Observer similarly remarked, 'She is the first of her countrywomen to win the women's championship'. In the next few decades, many aspiring players travelled to Britain to compete in international events. Among them were Manuel Aaron, Dibyendu Barua, Pravin Thipsay, Krishnan Sasikiran, Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Pentala Harikrishna, Viswanathan Anand, and others. 'Not until the Khadilkar sisters, who played in the 1970s and 1980s, did many know of women in chess,' says Indian grandmaster Ramachandran Ramesh, in an interview with Providing an extensive list, he names Bhagyashree Thipsay, Anupama Gokhale, Murali Reddy Saritha, Mrunalini Kunte, Saheli Dhar-Barua, Aarthie Ramaswamy, Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi and Subbaraman Meenakshi. 'Most of them played in the late-twentieth century and belonged to Chennai or Tamil Nadu,' he says. 'In the younger generation– Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal are some names,' notes Ramesh. On Chennai becoming a hub of chess players, he says, 'Traditionally, in India, irrespective of the gender, most chess players were from Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Chennai is kind of a chess capital for India. The first international master from India is Manuel Aaron from Chennai. Then we had the first grandmaster from India, also from Chennai, Anand. 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Citing the example of China and Russia, Rohilla says, 'Girls there are taught chess from a very young age.' Yet, grandmaster Ramesh says, 'It is very easy to look at everything cynically, but that hinders new initiatives. Things are changing for the better– we have a lot more women in chess today than a couple of years ago.' Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
