Ex-India star questions Shubman Gill’s captaincy after Zak Crawley showdown, namedrops Virat Kohli

In Sanjay Manjrekar’s eyes, Shubman Gill’s attempt to play fire with fire against England at Lord’s directly backfired, unraveling his batting and derailing his spectacular run of form. The former India cricketer argues that the young captain’s decision to confront Zak Crawley on Day 3 ultimately led to his downfall in the second innings.

The incident began when Gill had a go at Crawley, accusing the English batter of deliberately wasting time to avoid facing another over before stumps. However, the move seemed to boomerang. When Gill walked out to bat on the final day with India chasing 193, he was met with a barrage of chatter from the English players. Looking rattled, he was promptly dismissed for just six runs.

For Manjrekar, the episode highlighted a crucial difference between Gill and his predecessor, Virat Kohli. While confrontation fueled Kohli, it appeared to have the opposite effect on Gill.

“The thing with Virat Kohli was that he would get even more fired up and become a better batter [if things got nasty],” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “What disappointed me with Shubman Gill and that is why I was wondering, where is Shubman Gill heading? Because that seemed like it didn’t have the right effect on Shubman Gill the batter.”

“He came out looking very tentative and, you know, these days we are privy to the stump mic and we could hear the things being said and there were some personal attacks made. This could be a new experience for Shubman Gill because these days, as you can see, you know, with Indian players, there’s mostly friendly reception from a lot of foreign teams. So this was new territory. And he looked tentative and wasn’t up for it.”

Before this Test, Gill had been in sublime touch, stroking three centuries in his previous four innings. Manjrekar is certain that his sudden vulnerability at the crease was a direct result of the on-field hostility.

“We saw it pan out in the way he batted,” Manjrekar noted. “Because these were deliveries, good deliveries, but he’s negotiated beautifully through his marathon run as a batter through the series. And suddenly he was missing those balls. There was a review situation as well. Next ball, there was a leg before. Going through Shubman Gill’s defence has been hard work. He has hardly missed a ball. The control percentage has been brilliant. And suddenly, in about nine deliveries [in the second innings], he’s missed four. I have no doubt that there is a connection there.”

Manjrekar concluded by questioning if this aggressive streak was even a natural part of Gill’s personality, pointing out that Kohli’s combativeness was evident long before he became captain.

“And just to extend on that point, if Shubman Gill had that kind of a fiery side to him, we would have seen it a little earlier. You don’t have to show it when you’re captain,” he said. “With Virat Kohli, you could see that he was ready for a scrap… Even when he wasn’t a captain… With Shubman Gill, I’ve never seen it before.”

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