I have always had faith in Indian batter Shubman Gill. He is definitely one of the best batters of this generation. He has been playing well for a very long time, but I always had inhibitions about his leadership skills. I have seen him leading his team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but leading a national team is a different ball game. When Gill was given the role of captaincy I was very upset. I thought it would affect his batting. But the way he has exhibited in the second Test against England in Edgbaston, Birmingham, he has won the hearts of millions of cricket lovers. Leading his team and showing his class as a player shows Gill is cut out for the big platform.
He made a double century in his first innings and 161 in the second innings to put England on the backfoot. India defeated England by 336 runs and this will go on the record books. With his performance he has become a distinguished player. In his very first outing as a captain, Gill has proved he is here to stay for a very long time. I have no words of appreciation for Indian selectors and Indian coach Gautam Gambhir for discovering a leader in Shubman. It is a tough outing for India because Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are no more part of this team and winning in England without the legendary duo was unthinkable earlier, but Gill did that in style.
Md. Zayyan,
By email