‘He is a complacent cricketer’
Amid India’s recent struggles in Test cricket, former England spinner Monty Panesar has raised doubts over Shubman Gill’s leadership, describing him as a 'complacent cricketer' and insisting that the burden of all-format captaincy is currently beyond him.
Speaking to ANI, Panesar hailed Shubman Gill's talent but noted that he plays lazy shots during matches. Panesar added that Virat Kohli's intensity and aggression are evident, but Gill can't do that.
"He is a complacent cricketer. He has a lot of talent, but he starts playing lazy shots in the game. Virat Kohli's intensity and aggression are evident in all formats. Shubhman Gill can't do that. Too much burden for him. He can't be the captain of all formats. It is too much for him," Panesar said.
Team India has been struggling in Test cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir. The Asian Giants have suffered two whitewashes under head coach Gambhir - against New Zealand (3-0) and South Africa (2-0).
When Panesar was asked about Gautam Gambhir's tenure as head coach, the former England cricketer said Gambhir is a good white-ball coach because he has been successful in that format.
Panesar also suggested that Gambhir could become a red-ball coach in Ranji Trophy cricket and that he should speak with Ranji Trophy coaches about how to build a team in red-ball cricket.
"Gautam Gambhir is a good coach in white-ball cricket because he has been successful. He could become the Ranji Trophy coach, and he should talk to the coaches who have coached in the Ranji Trophy about how you build a team in red ball cricket. Right now, the Indian team is weak in Test cricket. This is the reality. It's not that strong. It will take time. When you retire three big players, it becomes difficult to keep the remaining players ready," the former England cricketer said.
Panesar highlighted that Team India is not missing Virat Kohli in the white-ball format, but in Test cricket, the team is missing which is evident. "In white-ball format, you won't miss Virat Kohli that much. But yes, in Test Cricket, it's evident that Virat Kohli is not there, and the team's intensity is lower."
Panesar also said that the Indian team is not ready for red-ball Cricket. He added that youngsters have to work hard in this format, but their focus is only on the IPL contract.
"Indian players are not ready for Test Cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI don't perform well in Test Cricket," the former England cricketer said.
"The gap between Ranji Trophy and India's Test team is significant. The Ranji Trophy system is also very weak. The boys just want to play in IPL. They want to get a big contract. They want to play in T20I and ODI. It takes a lot of hard work in 4-day cricket. That's why they want to give less time," Panesar said.
"They make more money in T20 cricket. They make less money in Test Cricket. But the reality is that the domestic cricket of the Ranji Trophy is very weak. It will take some time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket," he added.
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