Veteran spinner R Ashwin has publicly commended Shubman Gill, India’s new Test captain, for his calm and natural demeanour, particularly in media interviews. Gill assumed the Test captaincy following the retirements of batting legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The club, which was going through a transitional period, was searching for a new face to lead them, and Gill, who was already the IPL captain for the Gujarat Titans and a successful stand-in white-ball skipper in Zimbabwe, was considered as a natural choice.
Before the England series began, many people questioned his red-ball performance abroad. However, his performances in the first two Tests against England have answered all of the critics. Ashwin complimented Gill’s press conference performance.
“Shubman possesses a natural flair. I was watching his news conference and realised that he is not putting on a show. He speaks like who he is. He is leading the team based on his natural abilities and personality,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube page.
The seasoned spinner explained how the media, particularly during international tours, like to target the skipper in order to bring the visiting team down.
“During abroad tours, the media attempts to target the captain because bringing the captain down makes it easier to bring down the team. You can get them to fall like nine pins if you go after the captain’, he said.
Lot of players are coached about what to say and what to do: R Ashwin
Ashwin pointed out that while most players are coached on how to speak to the press, Gill is already very well spoken and knows how to handle the media.
“Don’t take it out of context, but a lot of players are coached about what to say and what to do. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Shubman Gill. He looks like a man who is doing what he believes in,” Ashwin further added.
After a 147 at Headingley in the series opener, Gill followed it up with a solid 269 in the first innings and a 161 in the second at Edgbaston, becoming the first Indian captain to score a double century and 150. His overall series tally currently stands at 585 runs at an average of 146.25.
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