India vs England: Alastair Cook backs Shubman Gill as India’s young captain

The 25-year-old Shubman Gill kicked off his Test captaincy stint with a 5-wicket defeat in the first India vs England Test. The captain came through with the bat, scoring a ton in the opening innings at Headingley. The century in Leeds led Gill to join the league of Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar as only the fifth Indian player to lace his Test captaincy debut with a three-figure mark. However, overall, Gill's team left too many loopholes against the home side, leading to the defeat in the fixture. Now, as experts discuss the first glimpse of Gill's leadership, former England skipper Alastair Cook has presented a fresh take.

Cook draws a comparison with Ben Stokes as he defends Shubman Gill following the first India vs England Test

The former England great Alastair Cook has thrown his support behind Shubman Gill in the wake of India’s defeat in the first Test against England at Headingley. The hosts clinched a five-wicket win, pulling off their second-highest successful run chase in Test history with a target of 371. The loss sparked a wave of criticism directed at the team. While the fielders and the tail-end bowlers faced the brunt, Gill, as the captain also stood at the target.

Many pundits questioned the on-field decisions and tactical moves of Shubman Gill. Amid the scrutiny,  Alastair Cook stepped in to defend the young skipper, pointing out that any new captain needs time to settle into the role. Drawing a comparison, he referenced Ben Stokes and reminded critics that England, too, needed time to adapt to Stokes’ leadership style.

“When you take over a team, there will always be a phase when the team gets used to the new leader. This happened with (Ben) Stokes when he came in. It took a while (for England players) to get used to him when he came in and said, ‘We’re going to try and smash every ball,” Cook said.

Despite the team’s defeat, Gill made a strong personal statement with the bat, scoring a commanding 147 in the first innings. But his efforts were overshadowed by India’s collective shortcomings, namely, inconsistent bowling, fielding errors, and middle-order collapses, that paved the way for a crushing loss in the series opener. Remarkably, India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite scoring five centuries. Yet even with such dominant individual performances, they failed to hold off England’s resilient chase.

Now, with the second India vs England Test looming, Gill faces the challenge of rallying his squad and sparking a turnaround. The upcoming match, starting July 2 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, presents not just a test of form but one of history as well. India has never won a Test at the venue, suffering defeat in seven of their eight appearances there. As they look to square the series, Gill and his men will have to defy the odds and break new ground.