Shubman Gill must have been “shell-shocked” when none of his strategies worked during the first Test match at Headingley, Leeds, according to former England captain Alastair Cook. Despite reaching more than 800 runs in both innings, India lost the opening match of the five-match series.
Alastair Cook expressed sympathy for the young Indian skipper and pointed out that he might have found things more difficult when there were several voices involved in the decision-making process. Additionally, he acknowledged that Gill’s lack of experience was apparent the entire time.
“During that fourth innings, I felt sorry for Shubman Gill, the captain of India.
Many individuals were out on the pitch making decisions and participating in DRS calls as it went around the park, and they all made mistakes. No emotion compares to being out in the world, even if you study all the leadership books you want. In his Times editorial, Cook writes, “I imagine he would have felt shell-shocked.”
Alastair Cook noted that the team might have been told to put pressure on England by a captain with more experience. In order to reverse the momentum, he also maintained that Ravindra Jadeja ought to have tried something else with the ball.
A more seasoned skipper may have reasoned, ‘We’re 340 ahead and five behind, let’s put some pressure on England,’ during India’s second innings, in my opinion. They were bowled out with a lead of just over 370 as it was, but they could have benefited from a little more attack,” Cook wrote.
“I thought Jadeja could have bowled into the rough slightly slower – instead he bowled in the way he might have done in India,” Cook stated.
The former England opener also aggressively advocated for the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and recommended that Nitish Kumar Reddy be included in the playing XI for the second Test match at Edgbaston.
“I anticipate that India will switch teams. They may need to bench Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair in favour of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who can deliver some phantom seamers and bat, before adding Kuldeep Yadav as an additional spinner, Cook stated.
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