Our Bureau
London
When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket before the England tour many believed that India would struggle heavily without their top batsmen and leaders. However, Shubman Gill had other plans and the way he is performing this series it seems that he has taken the baton from the Indian greats and is moving forward with it.
Recently, former English opener Mark Butcher, was talking about the newly appointed Indian captain and how he has taken batting at number 4 like he was playing at the position for all his life. He said that being an Indian captain is one of the most high-pressure jobs in world sport. He talked about how Gill is following the footsteps of Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar who both held the no. 4 spot for India before him.
“There aren’t many jobs in world sport that come with as much pressure and scrutiny as being Indian cricket captain, right? Not to mention you’re filling in Kohli’s spot in the order, or Tendulkar’s spot in the order (both held number four spot). So the pressures were enormous. And so far, he’s taken to it like a duck to water. He’s just looked very, very comfortable, very serene in terms of his temperament,” said Butcher.
Butcher expressed that he has been in awe of how Shubman has played in this series and with the way he has performed he has already broken so many records. He said, “And technically, he’s played beautifully as well. So what a great start to the series. I mean, he might have some records on his side by the end of it. He’s passed enough already. So what’s he got? 600 already in the series. It has been an incredible start.”
The Anderson Tendulkar Trophy currently sits 1-1 each after the first two matches. England won the first match of the series while India bounced back with an outstanding performance dominating the home team in the second match registering their first win at Edgbaston ever. The two teams will now be moving to Lord’s for the third match of the series which will start this Thursday on July 10th.
