Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin wants the BCCI and media to be patient with Shubman Gill after loss in the opening Test match against England. India suffered a five-wicket loss against England in Gill’s first match as Test captain.

Gill was able to lead from the front as he scored a fine knock of 147 runs in the first innings but his batting efforts went in vain. The youngster recently also led Gujarat Titans to IPL 2025 playoffs and scored 650 runs in the lucrative tournament.

Gill has all the talent as a batter and he is expected to get better as a leader with experience.

Mohammad Azharuddin said via India Today, “This is his just first match as a captain. You just can’t talk about captaincy; it’s too early to talk about captaincy. We should give him a fair chance, and he has just taken over. So, you should give him a lot of time and support. We cannot just complain and criticise players like that.”

Meanwhile, India lost 7-41 in the first innings of the opening Test whereas the visitors lost the last six wickets for 31 runs in the second essay.

Speaking on batting collapses, the former stylish batter said, “We lost because of batting collapse, but anyways, now they have to pick the right players, and bowling has to be perfect.”

On the other hand, Azharuddin highlighted that India were over-reliant on the shoulders of Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings. The former Indian skipper believes Kuldeep Yadav should be added to India’s playing XI.

“They are too much dependent on Bumrah. It’s not easy because you need more experienced bowlers, and they should play Kuldeep Yadav.”

The second Test match between India and England will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 2nd onwards.