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Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, who is currently a part of the broadcasting team in the ongoing Test series between India and England, cited the stump microphone chatter and claimed that India captain Shubman Gill was subjected to 'personal attacks' when he came out to bat in India's second innings at Lord's. He also added that Gill did not handle it well, as he was tentative in his short stay in the middle.
A big drama erupted in the final over of Day 3's play in the third Test where England opener Zak Crawley's 'time-wasting' antics riled up Shubman Gill. India wanted to bowl two overs before the stumps were drawn but Crawley's time-killing tactics didn't let that happen. Both Crawley and Shubman Gill engaged in a war of words. England players did the same with Gill, who came to bat the next day, where few comments were passed from the hosts.
Manjrekar also recalled an incident, when the former captain Virat Kohli was in his playing days particularly in the whites, he always liked that type of contests with the opposition as it used to bring best out of him.
"The thing with Virat Kohli was that he would get even more fired up and become a better batter [if things got nasty]. 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," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day.
The captaincy of India in Test matches is one of the most prestigious jobs one can have, but it also comes with great responsibility topped with immense scrutiny. And in Gill’s case it is a bit more difficult for him to cope up with the pressure and responsibility, after all he is only 25.
"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 a friendly reception from a lot of foreign teams. So this was new territory. And he looked tentative and wasn't up for it," he added.
The 60-year-old also feels that the English bowlers didn't get much luck in breaching Gill's defence which has actually helped the young batter put on a show with the bat. Gill is currently in epic form in the series as he has amassed 607 runs across three matches which is studded with two hundreds and a marathon double-century to his name. Notably, he cracked a historic 269 in the first innings of the second Test which eventually helped India seal the match, notching up their maiden win at the venue after a drought of 58 years.
"We saw it pan out in the way he batted. 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.
India, who are currently trailing 1-2 in the series, are gearing up for the all-important fourth Test against England in Manchester, which is a do-or-die game for them.
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