Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes Shubman Gill will get better as a Test captain with more experience, and he is still a work in progress. Gill has led India in seven Test matches so far, winning four, losing two, and drawing one.
The newly appointed skipper won his maiden Test series as a leader when India defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in Delhi. Ashwin reckons Gill was a bit impatient in handling his bowlers, and he needs to be more creative while setting his field.
“Today’s bats send mishits very far, like off Jayden Seales; so you can’t always attack more. Maybe in bowler rotation, Shubman Gill could do better, more creativity in field placement, like when Justin Greaves reverse-swept with point open; that’s not always the best move on a red-soil pitch with bounce. You have to watch closely and prepare extra,” he said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.
West Indies’ last pair frustrated the Indian bowlers as Jayden Seales and Justin Greaves added 79 runs. But surprisingly, Gill had deep fielders for the number 11 batter, Seales.
“In my view, Shubman Gill has less experience in field and it shows; he’s confident and backs players, but in tactics like rotation and placement, more work can be done, and it was visible. It felt like he needed the help. In such conditions, you will have to give bowlers ten-over spells. There was some impatience. He needs some guidance,” he added.
On the other hand, Ashwin said the Indian fast bowlers could have bowled more bouncers in two Test matches against the Windies.
“In this series, Indian fast bowlers played a role. They do have a role. Indian fast bowlers have generally refrained from bowling bouncers because they have a better idea of bowling in sub-continent. We do a little bit more with the ball. We bring reverse swing and LBW into play,” he said.
“When Virat Kohli was captain, he’d urge fast bowlers to bowl bouncers if wickets weren’t coming in 2–3 overs. He loved having square leg on the boundary so bowlers could bowl bouncers with protection. Fast bowlers instinctively know to bowl bouncers when square leg is back. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, all used bouncers well, but mainly when the ball reverses, not so much otherwise.”
India will next take on Australia in a three-match ODI series.
