"Shubman Gill Realised Impersonating Virat Kohli Was A Mistake": Ex India Star's Blunt Remark

Team India's defeat against England in the Lord's Test saw an uncharacteristic Shubman Gill come to the fore. The newly-appointed India captain looked ultra-aggressive at times, even engaged in verbal duels with England players on the field. Many considered this act by Gill as an attempt to impersonate Virat Kohli, who was known to wear his heart on the sleeve. Just like Virat, Gill tried to get under the England batters' skin but his attempts largely looked unsuccessful.

Sanjay Manjrekar was one of the cricket pundits who compared Gill's newly-found aggression to Kohli's. However, the skipper looked largely calm in the Manchester Test, much to the delight of former India batter Mohammad Kaif.

"In this Test, you must have seen that whenever the camera zoomed in on him, he was calm. He realised his mistake of trying to impersonate Virat Kohli... He realised his calm nature, and it transpired in his batting. He showed that he has temperament," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Speaking of the drawn Manchester Test, Kaif called out a big 'mistake' made by Gill and India head coach Gautam Gambhir as they went into the encounter with a specialist spinner like Kuldeep Yadav.

"Kuldeep Yadav not playing was a huge mistake in Manchester... you needed a left-arm spinner. I think he will play the next Test match at The Oval because India are 1-2 behind in the series. You have to win The Oval Test. If you lose it, then you'll lose the series. You have to win to level the series. You can't even draw. To win, you need 20 wickets. To bag 20 wickets, you've to play better bowlers in the XI. You need Kuldeep Yadav in the next Test match regardless of the conditions, seaming or overcast," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Virat Kohli Shubman Gill England vs India, 2025 Cricket