Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif praised Indian skipper Shubman Gill for his outstanding performance in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. Kaif praised the 25-year-old’s patience after he hit 103 off 238 balls in India’s second innings, including 12 boundaries.
Shubman Gill and opener KL Rahul (90) put on an important 188-run stand for the third wicket when India were struggling at 0/2 on day 4.
The duo batted for three periods before Indian all-rounders Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja shared an undefeated 203-run partnership, scoring 100 each to preserve the game for the visitors.
“In this Test, you must have seen that he remained calm whenever the camera zoomed in on him. He realised his error in impersonating Virat Kohli. He realised his calm demeanour, and it showed in his batting. He demonstrated that he had temperament,” Kaif stated on his YouTube channel.
The 44-year-old also pushed the Indian squad to select wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the fifth and final must-win match, which will begin on July 31 at The Oval. Indian bowlers have bowled a marathon of overs in four matches and would be exhausted. To even the series at 2-2, they will need a new bowler to step up. Notably, the left-arm spinner hasn’t played a Test since October 2024.
“You need to win the Oval Test. If you lose it, you lose the series. You must win to level the series. You cannot even sketch. To win, you’ll need 20 wickets. To get 20 wickets, you need to put better bowlers in the XI. “You need Kuldeep Yadav in the next Test match, rain or shine,” Kaif remarked.
Meanwhile, England have added Jamie Overton to their team for the fifth Test, having bowled for five full sessions in the fourth Test in Manchester. The hosts hope to win or tie the match, securing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in front of their home audience.
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