Gill's Captaincy Under Scrutiny After India's Test Defeat: England Legend Slams 'Reactive' Tactics

Following India's dramatic loss in the first Test against England, Shubman Gill's captaincy has become a focal point of discussion. While India dominated significant portions of the match, a Day 5 collapse resulted in a five-wicket defeat, giving England a 1-0 advantage in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.

India captain Shubman Gill and England captain Ben Stokes after the 1st Rothesay Test Match (Image by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Gill's leadership, particularly his tactical decisions and fielding strategies, faced scrutiny after the defeat.

Lloyd's Criticism of Gill's Captaincy

Speaking on the "Stick to Cricket podcast," former England cricketer David Lloyd expressed concerns about Gill's approach.

"The intrigue is with Shubman Gill, who’s a very inexperienced skipper. How’s he going to come back from that? He’s got Ravindra Jadeja and Karun Nair, who are in their 30s. So he’s got experience in his team. It’s great having a young team that he’s got. But tactically, he’s reactive rather than proactive in the stuff that he’s doing," Lloyd stated. He emphasized the need for proactive decision-making in crucial moments.

Cook's Call for Patience

Conversely, Alastair Cook, another former England captain, urged observers to be patient with Gill. Cook drew parallels with Ben Stokes' initial phase as England's captain.

“When you take over a team, there will always be a phase when the team gets used to the new leader. This happened with (Ben) Stokes when he came in. It took a while (for England players) to get used to him when he came in and said, ‘We’re going to try and smash every ball," Cook noted.

India's Missed Opportunities

Despite individual brilliance, including five centuries from Rishabh Pant (twice), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Gill, India's batting collapses and dropped catches proved fatal. India slumped from 430/3 to 471 and 333/4 to 364, giving England an opening to chase down 371 with relative ease.