Gautam Gambhir backs Shubman Gill after India vs England defeat

Despite multiple things going in favor of the visitors at Headingley, their shortcomings eventually cost the victory to the Indian team. Every time India got the bat in the first India vs England Test, the record charts reshuffled. From Yashasvi Jaiswal to Rishabh Pant and the young captain Shubman Gill, the batters painted a bright picture of India's standing in the match. However, despite record-breaking knocks and the textbook brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah, the guests endured a 5-wicket defeat to open the five-match series in Leeds. 

"Gill has all the skills to become a great captain," says Gambhir

The brilliance of the batting order was clear for all to see, similar to the first-innings spell of Jasprit Bumrah. Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first Indian opener to score a century in Leeds as the youngster marked his debut on English soil with a ton. Rishabh Pant hit twin centuries to join Andy Flower as only the second wicketkeeper-batter to score a century in both innings of a Test match.

KL Rahul piled his own ton, positioning himself as one of the best Indian batters in SENA conditions. Shubman Gill, meanwhile, became the fifth Indian player to mark his Test captaincy debut with a century. Hitting a ton in the opening innings at Headingley, Gill joined the likes of Dilip Vengsarkar, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli in the coveted list.

However, Gill's captaincy tenure still started with a defeat. India fumbled significantly in other departments. An abysmal turn-up of the lower batting order, added with an unforgivable show by the fielders, dropping as many as eight catches, outweighed the positive performances. The final nail in the coffin was the lack of support for Jasprit Bumrah from the bowling attack. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur failed to show up at the right moments, failing to impose any pressure on the hosts.

Now, as England has charged to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, India has fallen to scrutiny. Amid the dissection of many aspects, captain Shubman Gill has received some feedback too. Former English captain Nasser Hussain has opined that Gill lacks the 'aura' like that of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. However, the Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has backed the young leader. In the post-match press conference, Gambhir noted that nerves ran high in the opening fixture for the relatively raw Indian side. The coach highlighted that Gill has all the skills to become a successful captain, but the 25-year-old should be allowed some time to delve into the role.

"Look, first Test match, obviously, there are nerves. Not many people get that opportunity, and he was phenomenal. More importantly, I think the way he batted in the first innings. I'm sure he would have had his own nerves being the captain for the first time and then getting the hundred," said Gambhir. "He has everything that it takes for him to be a successful captain, but we have got to just give him time. It's still very early days," he added.