ENG vs IND: "The captaincy of Shubman Gill was..."- Michael Vaughan picks two big moments from day 2 of The Oval test

Michael Vaughan said Shubman Gill’s captaincy was outstanding when England was batting in the first innings.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has heaped praise on Shubman Gill for his captaincy in the ongoing fifth test between England and India at The Oval, London. On day two, England openers Zak Crawley (64) and Ben Duckett (43) provided their team with a wonderful start, etching an opening stand of 92 runs.

With the way they started, it looked like England would reach a huge total in the first innings, but India made a spectacular comeback after lunch. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna demolished England’s batting lineup with their brutal bowling effort, scalping four wickets each. The Ollie Pope-led side was bowled out for 247 runs, with Harry Brook hitting a crucial fifty.

England could only earn a 23-run lead after the first innings in response to India’s first innings total of 224. Karun Nair hit a solid fifty for India, while Gus Atkinson hunted a five-wicket haul.

Michael Vaughan lauds Shubman Gill’s captaincy in The Oval test

While speaking on BBC Sport, cricketer-turned-commentator Vaughan said that Gill’s captaincy was outstanding during England’s batting in the first innings. He also hailed Siraj for getting the crucial wickets of Ollie Pope and Joe Root, calling it a big moment.

“The captaincy of Shubman Gill was outstanding in the afternoon because he brought the field in and he said to the England players, ‘If you’re going to play good shots, you’re going to be rewarded, but if you don’t, then there’s a chance we’ll take one or two wickets,” he said.

“There were a couple of really good deliveries from Siraj to get rid of Ollie Pope, who was playing nicely, and Joe Root, who was playing the Joe Root way. Those were two big moments in the afternoon session,” he added.

England have faced a big blow in The Oval test as Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the match. He sustained a shoulder injury while fielding on day one. Vaughan feels that India might dominate with their batting in the second innings as the hosts are without their key pacer.

“I’d rather be India, with the fact that England don’t have Chris Woakes and tomorrow the sun’s going to shine. You would think this pitch would quieten down, but if it stays like this, it’s going to be a great game,” he said.

“It’s had movement throughout, and the standout partnership of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley looked like it exploded England ahead—and then India remembered to bowl at the stumps, they bowled a bit fuller,” Vaughan added.

India, in the second innings, have batted brilliantly, taking a lead of over 130 runs. Overnight batters in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep have looked solid as the visitors eye a big total. India trail 1-2 in the series and need to win the fifth test to end the series in a draw.

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