New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Shubman Gill’s aggressive approach has sparked a debate but former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel says it’s not new and lauded the young captain for his assertiveness and clarity in executing plans during the ongoing England series.
Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord’s Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease towards the end of the third day of the Test.
India had managed to equal England’s first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn’t possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and Gill exchanged words with England openers.
The India skipper later called the delay “not in the spirit of the game.” Asked if Gill’s aggressive stance was surprising, Patel, who served as assistant coach of Gill-led Gujarat Titans in the IPL, said, “No, it’s not. We’ve seen him do this in the IPL too. This sport is about expressing emotions as long as you don’t cross the line, and I don’t think Shubman crossed the line at all.” “It was clear how slowly the English batsmen were walking in. Teams like England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa often use the term ‘spirit of the game’ conveniently.
“So, there was nothing wrong with Gill asking the English media if it’s okay to come to bat 90 seconds late. That was a deliberate attempt. I don’t think Shubman did anything wrong,” Patel told reporters during a JioHotstar virtual interaction.
On Gill’s India captaincy, he said, “This is new to him and he’s improving. With Gujarat Titans, whatever I’ve observed about him, he’s been very assertive. He knows what he wants. He’s very clear with his plans and ideas. I’m sure with the time, you will see very much improvement in his captaincy also.” Under Gill’s captaincy, India won the second Test at Birmingham and were in a strong position in the third before losing the game by 22 runs.
“I thought he was very good compared to the first Test. He lacks experience leading Test or four-day games, but no one is born a captain.
“It’s good to see that Shubman’s been very good. He doesn’t look confused on the field as a captain, opposed to what he was in first Test match. But it’s good to see that he is on the right path,” said Patel.
Sai Sudharsan, dropped after the opening Test, scored his maiden Test half-century — a patient 61 — as India posted 264 for four on day one of the fourth Test. He was replaced by experienced Karun Nair in the second and third Tests before returning to the XI in the fourth.
“Despite good domestic seasons, Nair couldn’t convert starts into big scores. Now India is backing a youngster, which is fine. After eight years away, you don’t usually get many chances. Sai made the most of his opportunity with a fifty. Knowing him, he’d be disappointed not to have converted it into a hundred,” said Patel.
Asked if Sai has the potential to become a regular all-format batter, Parthiv said, “The potential is immense. We’ve seen him bat with conviction in the IPL, winning the Orange Cap and striking at a high rate. He’s shown promise in Test cricket too.” Patel also expressed support for Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion in the playing XI.
“I personally feel India should play Kuldeep Yadav. The team seems to prefer an extra batter, which is why Kuldeep isn’t finding a place. But I believe India should find room for him to have four attacking bowlers,” he said. PTI ATK AT
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