Mohammad Kaif has stunned the cricket world with his explosive assessment of Shubman Gill’s captaincy on debut after India’s five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test of the ongoing five-match Test series at Headingley on Tuesday, June 24.
India might have suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but Mohammad Kaif boldly declared that Shubman Gill outshone his English counterpart, Ben Stokes, in captaincy and deserved more praise than criticism.
Kaif was full of admiration for the young Indian skipper, especially the way he managed Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery spells. The former Indian batter has pointed out that Gill made smart decisions and showed real leadership despite being left stranded by a toothless bowling attack.
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In a scathing remark, Kaif claimed that Gill was practically “leading with 1.5 bowlers,” referring to the heavy burden on Jasprit Bumrah with no support from Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, or Shardul Thakur in the Headingley Test against England.
With Ravindra Jadeja struggling as the lone spinner and the rest of the pace unit leaking runs, Kaif said that the new captain was forced to fight with just a lone weapon.
You can’t win Test match with 1.5 bowlers: Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel, “As a young captain, Gill did brilliantly by giving Bumrah 4-4 overs and rotating him well. He led better than Ben Stokes. Well done, thumbs up. Helpless captain because he was playing with one and a half bowlers.
One is Bumrah, and the remaining half is Jadeja. There was no support from Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, or Shardul. You can’t win the Test match with 1.5 bowlers. He did captaincy very well and looked good to me. He used his resources well.”
Notably, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur picked up just two wickets each, while Prasidh Krishna grabbed five but conceded a lot of runs. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja could barely make an impact with just one wicket in the second innings.
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Shubman Gill passes the real test in Leeds, says Mohammad Kaif on his ton and tactical calls
Kaif also applauded Gill’s century under pressure. With critics questioning his place and form in English conditions, the Punjab lad silenced everyone with a gutsy 147 in the first innings, and Kaif described that knock as a powerful statement to those doubting his ability and leadership.
He signed off by saying, “I will praise him a lot because it was a big test for him in this series. It was important for him to score in England. Everyone said he doesn’t know how to play in England; [you] made him captain, but he hasn’t scored runs. But he passed the test with the bat, scored a century, and had excellent batting. Apart from captaincy, he showed he can deliver with the bat.”
England pulled off a stunning five-wicket win against India in the first Test at Headingley, chasing down 371 to take a 1-0 lead in the Test series. The match went into the final session of Day 5, but England held their nerve to complete the second-highest run chase in Test history on English soil.
After the loss, Shubman Gill revealed that India had planned to declare with a lead of around 430, but they fell short. He also felt that the bowlers gave their all, but it just wasn’t enough.
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