With series on the line, skipper Gill’s real test begins now

  These are early days for Shubman Gill, the captain. Leading India for the first time in Tests, his aggression on the pitch and the ability to calmly handle crunch situations have earned him praise from the cricket pundits.

But his real test is now as India heads to Manchester, trailing 1-2 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

It’s going to be an Herculean task no doubt, given the fact that India has never won a Test at the Old Trafford, but for the young captain, providing clarity of roles to the players will be the key as the team looks to take control of the key moments throughout the game.

That will define Gill’s character as a captain.

Australian legend Greg Chappell wrote in his recent column for ESPN Cricinfo, “Gill must start setting those expectations – clearly, proactively, and consistently,” and that certainly will be crucial in the remainder of the series.

There’s plenty to deal with anyway – whether to play Jasprit Bumrah at Old Trafford or keep him for The Oval; whether to replace Karun Nair with B. Sai Sudharsan at No.3; whether to continue with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar or bring Kuldeep Yadav in. While making the right calls will be crucial, it will be equally important for Gill to lead with his actions and decide how he wants to shape this team.

Barring the previous game in Lords, Shubman has made his impact in the series so far with the bat, amassing 607 runs in six innings. However, former England captain Andrew Strauss believes that in the early days of captaincy, one can usually strike a balance and that’s been the case with Gill so far.

“He is a quality player, but I think that back in my times, when I started the captaincy with England, that extra responsibility really helps your batting in the early stages. Maybe, towards the back end it becomes more difficult,” Strauss told The Hindu, adding: “But right at the moment, he’s in that sweet spot and I suppose he’s just gotta ride the wave and enjoy it…”

In a series, where stakes are high, it is never easy to handle situations, and that’s where Gill needs to instill that belief in the team that it can bounce back no matter how tricky the situation gets.

Former England captain David Gower is impressed with the way the 25-year-old has led, coming out of the shadows of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “Building a team relies on so many things. At the start of the series, people talked about two great players – Rohit and Virat – not being around. But Shubman played beautifully in two Test matches,” Gower told this daily.

“To lead you don’t have to be 34, you can be 24, but talented, and with a good head, good mind, good technique. If you have that, you can fill that gap…”

Leading for the first time, there have been teething troubles, but with the series on the line, his real test begins.