Did India lose the edge to England after Shubman Gill's run-out? Aakash Chopra weighs in
Luck evaded the visitors once again in England as Shubman Gill lost the toss for the fifth time in the ongoing series. Unlike the previous fixtures in the India vs England series, the coin not flipping in India's favor bore significant consequences at the Oval. The wicket for the Oval Test looked lively, greener than anything seen before in the series, and the overcast conditions aided the surface even more. As anticipated, the visitors were rattled swiftly after Ollie Pope, England's interim captain, put the guests in to bat first. However, the fall of Shubman Gill, the man in form, was the captain's doing himself, with the pitch or the English playing no role in the crucial dismissal.
Final India vs England Test: Aakash Chopra terms the dismissal of Shubman Gill 'suicidal'
The Indian captain's turn to bat came early on Day 1 of the fifth and final India vs England Test. Despite their wayward bowling, England managed to send back the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the opening session. Gill arrived to partner with Sai Sudharsan for the third wicket. The 25-year-old has broken multiple long-standing records in the India vs England series, scoring 722 runs across the four matches. Gill looked poised to take his run stand further up, tackling the conditions at the Oval well.
However, England were handed their most crucial wicket as a gift. A horrible confusion in the middle, much of Gill's doing himself, resulted in the captain departing at just 21 off a run-out. The skipper defended a delivery by Gus Atkinson towards short cover. But Gill misjudged the cue, as he tried to squeeze in a single. Before Sudharsan at the other end could react to the absurd call, Gill was halfway down the pitch. Taking a sharp turn, Gill failed to reach the crease on time as Atkinson swiftly hit the stumps on the striker's side.
The dismissal was clearly suicidal on Gill's part. With the Indian skipper being the best batsman for the visitors in the series, the run-out will have a heavy impact on the Oval Test. Former Indian opener and current cricket commentator Aakash Chopra iterated the same. The former batter described Gill’s run-out as a pivotal moment that could shift the trajectory of the Oval Test.
"Shubman Gill's run-out was pivotal," Aakash Chopra said. "It was his own mistake. He ran as soon as he defended the ball. It was almost suicidal. In that kind of situation, the one who misjudges should ideally be the one to get out. Thankfully, that's what happened here. If Sai Sudharsan had responded, he would've been run out without a doubt, so in that sense, Gill getting out was the right outcome because the error was his," he added.
The guests ended the opening day of the final India vs England Test in a shaky position at 204 for 6. However, it was Gill’s dismissal, widely seen as avoidable, that triggered the most debate. Chopra highlighted how Gill’s rushed decision was ill-timed and unwarranted, especially so early in the innings and given the challenging conditions. The dismissal was even more disappointing considering the kind of form Shubman Gill had carried into this match. The 25-year-old had recently broken the record for most runs by an Indian captain in a single Test series, moving past the 732 run stand of Sunil Gavaskar with his tally of 743.
"You don't want your captain, especially one in such good form, to throw away his wicket like that. It's something the team may look back on with regret if things don't go their way in the match," Chopra noted.
