'Virat Kohli might say we have enough runs, I'll get you all out before tea': Ex-India cricketer questions Shubman Gill's captaincy after India's five-wicket defeat vs England

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar slammed Shubman Gill's captaincy after the team's defeat in the first Test against England at the Yorkshire Cricket Ground in Leeds, England. India lost the first Test match by five wickets despite the contest witnessing 5 tons from the touring side, a first in the history of the sport.

Gill, who surpassed Rohit to lead India in whites, has faced a lot of criticism, and many cricketing experts reckoned that the main factor behind the team's defeat was defensive captaincy.

"Most people felt Shubman Gill went too defensive. But I think he was trying to trap England by cutting off boundaries, hoping the wickets would come eventually," said Manjrekar on JioHotstar after the conclusion of the match.

Manjrekar, however, agreed that Virat would've led the side in a much different manner. In fact, he would've told his players to try and get England out by Tea itself, after the hosts were given a target of 371 runs in the Leeds Test.

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"I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison, as Shubman Gill is a young captain, but he would not have put such a defensive field. That's different from someone like Virat Kohli, who might say: We have enough runs, I'll get you all out before Tea. Whether he would have gotten wickets with an attacking field is not guaranteed, but he would have been at it," Manjrekar said.

"Gill doesn't have the same seam attack as England-though they don't have Bumrah but English team has more all-round options. Even with Jadeja, I felt India should've started with a standard field rather than pre-empting reverse sweeps. You want to start with attacking intent-even if only for a few overs-before going defensive. That said, I don't want to be overly critical of Shubman. He's a new captain, and we should be understanding of that," he added.

Virat Kohli is arguably the best captain to lead India in Tests, India register their first ever-Test series win against Australia under his leadership. There's hardly any skipper in Team India's history who tops what Kohli managed to do. Especially on away tours, the way Kohli led his troops and infected everyone with his energy still remains unmatched.

Coming back to the Test series, England are currently leading 1-0 in the five Test match series, the second Test match will take place from July 2-6 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.