Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his support for skipper Shubman Gill’s leadership skills, believing he can help the team bounce back from a 1-2 deficit in the upcoming fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Gill’s captaincy debut has been quite balanced so far. The scoreline may show England’s dominance, but the Indian side has been aggressively competitive, exemplified by their narrow 22-run loss at Lord’s.
With the fourth Test being the final chance for India to level the series, Manjrekar feels the break will allow Gill to reflect on his leadership style and approach the game with renewed vigour in Manchester.
“Gill is a young captain, and he has already surpassed expectations, both with the bat and as a leader. The scoreline might be close, but India has won a Test match, and that’s credit to how he has gone about it. This eight-day break comes at a perfect time for him.
“He has good people around him, and his father, more than anyone, would know what kind of personality Shubman really is, whether he’s a potential Virat Kohli or Dhoni, or somewhere in between,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
How Will Gill Be As Captain And Batter?
“I’m guessing somewhere in between. He has to find his own path now, a path that enhances both, his leadership and his batting. And, if there is anything coming in the way of either, he’s got to quickly let go of it.
“In the first Test, he was leaning heavily on Rishabh Pant and others. In the second, he started asserting himself, and the results followed. Now, after this little setback in the third Test, we might see the best of Shubman Gill, the captain, in Manchester. Hopefully, we’ll also see the best of Shubman Gill, the batter,” he added.
India’s camp is affected by injuries to Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, alongside Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from a finger injury sustained during the Lord’s Test.
Additionally, workload management concerns have limited Jasprit Bumrah to just three of the five Tests in the series. He played in the first and third Tests, and with an eight-day gap before the fourth Test, India has indicated they are “leaning towards” playing him at Old Trafford.
