'He realised his mistake of trying to impersonate Virat Kohli': Former Indian cricketer on Shubman Gill's calm demeanour in Manchester Test

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif lavished praise on skipper Shubman Gill's calmness in the 4th Test match of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against England in Manchester. Kaif highlighted that Gill did not try to copy Virat Kohli’s aggressive style at Old Trafford, especially after an on-field verbal spat with opener Zak Crawley in the third Test at Lord's, London.

Gill, who became Rohit Sharma's successor to lead India in whites, played a calm and mature century knock in the last innings that helped the side to draw the clash.

"In this Test, you must have seen that whenever the camera zoomed in on him, he was calm. He realised his mistake of trying to impersonate Virat Kohli… He realised his calm nature, and it transpired in his batting. He showed that he has temperament," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Gill displayed immense grit and determination on the last two days with the bat and scored 103 in 238 balls, which set up the foundation for a draw, which looked highly unlikely on Day 4, when India lost two wickets for nought on the scoreboard.

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Kaif slammed Indian management for not picking veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the Manchester Test. He reckons that the bowling attack lacked a left-arm spinner and believes Kuldeep will likely play the next match.

"Kuldeep Yadav not playing was a huge mistake in Manchester... you needed a left-arm spinner. I think he will play the next Test match at The Oval because India are 1-2 behind in the series. You have to win The Oval Test. If you lose it, then you’ll lose the series. You have to win to level the series. You can’t even draw. To win, you need 20 wickets. To bag 20 wickets, you’ve to play better bowlers in the XI. You need Kuldeep Yadav in the next Test match regardless of the conditions, seaming or overcast,” he concluded.

Kuldeep has represented India in 13 Tests, and the veteran spinner is yet to find a regular spot in the Indian Test side. Kuldeep's last Test outing came against New Zealand in 2024 under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

Coming back to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, England are currently leading 2-1 in the five-Test match series, and the fifth Test match will be the last chance for the Shubman Gill-led side to draw the series.