In every team, there is a leadership group. When in doubt, a team’s captain goes to the players he trusts the most and asks their opinion. Seen as a tactical mastermind, Ben Stokes often consults Joe Root and Ollie Pope. One was a former captain and the other his deputy in Test cricket.
This looked like the case for India as well. Although Shubman Gill was making his debut as India’s Test captain, he leaned on his deputy Rishabh Pant and former skipper KL Rahul as well. However, unlike with England, Pant and Rahul seemed to have taken over from Gill on the fifth day of the India vs England 1st Test.
India’s 3 captains
According to Murali Karthik, this isn’t a great look. Ever so often, Steve Smith can be seen moving the fielders but it’s Pat Cummins who’s the captain. At times, Rahul and Pant were setting the field even with Gill present and close. And it looked like he wasn’t in charge.
“At one point, it looked like there was more than one captain on the field. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill were setting fielders at the same time. There is just one captain. I can understand that once or twice a senior can tell a fielder that they are out of place and signal them to move. But this was happening way too often and these aren’t great signs,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Gill looked under the pump
The former Indian left-arm spinner felt that Gill was following the ball. He means to say that a fielder would be placed in the direction where the last boundary was hit. In other words, he was reactive instead of proactive. Karthik also thinks Team India was very flat in the first session, with the English openers looking in control.
“Shubman Gill was under pressure. He was following the ball when it came to field placements. In the first session on Day 5, it never looked like India was going to get a wicket and I know a catch was dropped. I think the sharpness in the field was lacking,” he added.
