'Shubman Gill is on his first trip to England as a batter and has also been thrown into the deep end as captain, carrying immense responsibility'
Shubman Gill’s trial by fire in England has taken a brutal turn.
Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
But as India trail 1-2 and falter in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Gill has been "thrown into the deep end" with far too much responsibility and far too little support.
India arrived in England without its batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, to orchestrate an unprecedented series win. The challenge was immense, considering India has returned winless in every single tour since 2007.
From Leeds to London, India fought their hearts out but surrendered to a 2-1 trail in the five-match series. In the fourth Test, the story has been a complete contrast to the past three contests. India has appeared out of its depth as England pulls the strings to control the flow of the game.
Manjrekar decoded the various reasons behind India's fall from grace at Old Trafford in Manchester. With injuries to Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy, India was robbed of its balanced final XI. India had to fly in Anshul Kamboj and straightaway threw him into the XI, and since then, he has struggled to meet the demands of Test cricket.
"Shubman Gill is on his first trip to England as a batter and has also been thrown into the deep end as captain, carrying immense responsibility. He fought well across the first three Tests, but this game feels slightly beyond India, considering the challenges and resources. India's bowling was hampered by Akash Deep's unavailability -- he picked up 10 wickets in the last Test but missed out due to injury. Anshul Kamboj came in, but struggled to rise to the demands of Test cricket," Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
Manjrejkar reiterated his stance that spinners are often an afterthought for the Indian team. The pace bowling quartet Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kamboj and Shardul Thakur have combined to bowl 83 overs and returned with three wickets. On the other hand, the ball-tweaking duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar scalped four wickets in 52 overs.
"One area India could've improved is their bowling combination, seamers bowled nearly 82 overs for just three wickets, while spin got four wickets in just 52 overs. That's something they'll need to reassess.
The standout, though, was Mohammed Siraj -- it was great to see him bowl with such heart right till the end," he added.
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