Shortly before the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the Test format, and Shubman Gill was named captain of the Indian Test team. Against a far more experienced England team in the UK, the Punjab batsman was able to lead his team from the front. India won the fifth and final Test match at The Oval earlier this week by an exciting six-run margin, securing a 2-2 series finale.
The cricket community has been praising Shubman for his leadership of a rather inexperienced team under test circumstances. India demonstrated a great deal of tenacity and resolve to tie the series in spite of injuries to key players.
Dinesh Karthik, a former cricket player for India, praised Gill leadership style.
The cricket player-turned-commentator acknowledged that Gill occasionally went too far in being overly combative, but he supported Gill gradual learning curve.
“He has occasionally been combative; on occasion, he did go too far. I believe he will somewhat alter that about himself. I’m hoping he doesn’t make too many changes. Above all, though, he did a great job managing the English media.
He arrived ready: Dinesh Karthik
When Shubman came to the UK to play the five-match Test series, his Test average was in the mid-30s. His position in the side was questioned by some doubters. Karthik, however, gave him credit for improving his technique and being the series’ top run scorer, with 754 runs at an average of 75.40 in 10 innings.
People were wondering if Shubman Gill’s record would improve if he left India for this series. “I want to be the best batter on both teams,” he added. Possessing confidence is one thing, but you also need to be able to support it with talent. He was ready. He was vulnerable as he batted [against] the ball returning in. He managed to counter that and improve his technique,” Karthik remarked.
Shubman’s incredible performance in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, where he became the first player in the history of the longest format to achieve a double-century and a 150 in the same match, really pleased Karthik.
“His hunger and determination were the key components that made his accomplishments stand out. The amount of time he batted was incredible, he said, “that 269 and the hundred he got at Edgbaston.”
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