“Just got to give him time”- Gautam Gambhir refuses to blame Shubman Gill’s captaincy for India’s defeat

Shubman Gill is the fifth-youngest test captain of the Indian cricket team.

In the first test match at Headingley in Leeds, the Indian Cricket Team lost by five wickets to the England Cricket Team, and Shubman Gill had a difficult start to his leadership tenure. The head coach of India, Gautam Gambhir, has declined to attribute the outcome to his captaincy.

In addition, the game signalled the start of a new era without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill, who is only 25, is now India’s fifth-youngest test captain.

Shubman Gill’s debut as test captain wasn’t without his accomplishments. Although he tried an aggressive shot and failed to reach 150, his strong knock of 147 was a highlight. However, he only scored eight runs before being removed in the second innings.

Ben Duckett’s bold 149 and Joe Root’s unbeaten 53 helped England, who were chasing 371 for the victory, turn the tide. Their calm approach ensured a victory for the hosts by influencing India’s poor performance on the last day.

“These are tough places,” Gautam Gambhir continues to support captain Shubman Gill

Following the match, India head coach Gautam Gambhir said during the press conference after the game that Gill would find it difficult to lead the test team for the first time in a foreign country during the England tour.

In order to celebrate the young player’s outstanding century in the first innings and maintain faith in his ability to return as a leader in the forthcoming games, he advised the Indian cricket fans to exercise a little patience.

“Look, first Test match, there are nerves. It’s a great honour. As he’s already mentioned, captaining the Test side, not many people get that opportunity, and he was phenomenal. More importantly, I think the way he batted in the first inning, obviously, I’m sure he would have had his own nerves, being the captain for the first time, and then getting a hundred,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by PTI.  

“So, everything that it takes for him to be a successful captain, we’ve got to just give him time. We’re still very early days, and he’s only the captain for the first time. I’m sure he’s going to get better. And these are tough places to captain. It’s like pushing someone into the deep sea, and I’m sure he’s going to come out as a proper professional,” he added.

India became the first team in test history to lose a match despite five individual centuries being scored by their batters in a match.

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