Former India opener and cricket commentator Aakash Chopra has termed Shubman Gill’s run-out on Day 1 of the fifth Test at The Oval as a “game-changing” moment that could influence the course of the match. Gill, who had been in sublime form throughout the series, was dismissed for 21 in a moment of misjudgement that sparked sharp criticism from former players.
India, put into bat by England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope, ended the day precariously placed at 204 for 6. But it was Gill’s self-inflicted dismissal that drew the most scrutiny. The Indian skipper called for a quick single moments after defending the ball, only to be caught short of his crease after Sai Sudharsan, at the non-striker’s end, refused the call.
“Shubman Gill’s run-out was pivotal,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel. “It was his own mistake. He ran as soon as he defended the ball. It was almost suicidal. In that kind of situation, the one who misjudges should ideally be the one to get out. Thankfully, that’s what happened here.”
Chopra stressed that Gill’s decision to charge down the pitch was completely out of place, especially given the match context and the early stage of the innings. “If Sai Sudharsan had responded, he would’ve been run out without a doubt, so in that sense, Gill getting out was the right outcome because the error was his,” he added.
The timing of the dismissal was especially frustrating considering the form Gill has displayed in this series. The 25-year-old had just surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record for most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series, reaching 743 runs to go past Gavaskar’s 732.
“You don’t want your captain, especially one in such good form, to throw away his wicket like that. It’s something the team may look back on with regret if things don’t go their way in the match,” Chopra noted.
