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Former India's star wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has lauded skipper Shubman Gill for his impressive outing in his first outing in England as India's Test captain, which was a mix up of both positives and negatives. Karthik however lauded Gill for exceptional handling of both the media and his own performance during the challenging tour of England. Following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Gill was suddenly tasked with leading the Test side, and he faced intense scrutiny over his red-ball batting skills and leadership abilities. He silenced his critics by having a phenomenal series, scoring a record-breaking 754 runs, the most by an Indian captain in a Test series. Gill also impressed many with his captaincy, leading the team to a 2-2 series draw.
Gill has been aggressive at times, I think he’ll change that to an extent: Dinesh Karthik
During the series, Gill showcased a fiery side to his captaincy during a tense exchange with Zak Crawley, an incident that drew some criticism. However, he remained resolute, leading his team with grit and determination all the way to the final day. Karthik, reflecting on the incident, admitted he might have handled it differently but was ultimately impressed with how Gill navigated the English media throughout his maiden tour as captain.
“He’s been aggressive at times; sometimes he did cross the line. I think he’ll change that about himself to an extent. I hope he doesn’t change it too much. But most importantly, the way he handled the English media [he did it very well],” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik was also full of praise for Gill's hunger and maturity during the England tour, noting how the young skipper successfully silenced critics who had questioned his overseas performance. The former cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted Gill’s sheer determination, pointing to his marathon innings at Edgbaston and Manchester as clear evidence of his growing stature and ability to perform on the biggest stage.
“Walking into this series, people were asking - Shubman Gill, away from India, his record can be better. And he said, ‘I want to be the best batter across both teams’. It’s one thing to have confidence, but you’ve got to back that up with skill. He came prepared. There was a vulnerability in his batting [against] the ball coming back in. He found a way to work on his technique and counter it. What was the defining part of what he achieved was the hunger and determination. That 269 and the hundred he got at Edgbaston, the amount of time he batted was astounding,” Karthik concluded.
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