‘It’s one thing to have confidence…’: Karthik's unvarnished verdict on Shubman Gill's first assignment as Test captain

Karthik lauded Shubman Gill's hunger and maturity during the England tour, highlighting how the young skipper silenced critics questioning his overseas record.

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik was all praise for skipper Shubman Gill for how he handled the media and his own performance on the big England tour. The retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli led India to enter a sudden transition phase, and Shubman was chosen to lead the Test side. Ahead of the England series, critics were questioning his red-ball batting skills as well as leadership traits. He shut the batting critics with a series for ages where he amassed 754, the most by any Indian captain in a Test series. With the 2-2 series draw, he has also managed to impress many with his captaincy.

Shubman Gill led the Indian team to a 2-2 series draw in five-match Test series against England. (PTI)

Shubman showed his fiery side as captain during a tense exchange with Zak Crawley, a moment that drew some criticism. However, he stood his ground and led with grit right through to the final day of the series, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Karthik reflected on the same incident, admitting it's something he would’ve approached differently himself. Still, the seasoned wicketkeeper was impressed with how Shubman dealt with the English media during his maiden tour as captain.

“He’s been aggressive at times; sometimes he did cross the line. I think he’ll change that about himself to an extent. I hope he doesn’t change it too much. But most importantly, the way he handled the English media [he did it very well],” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“There was a vulnerability in Shubman's batting…”

Karthik lauded Shubman's hunger and maturity during the England tour, highlighting how the young skipper silenced critics questioning his overseas record.

“Walking into this series, people were asking - Shubman Gill, away from India, his record can be better. And he said, ‘I want to be the best batter across both teams’. It’s one thing to have confidence, but you’ve got to back that up with skill. He came prepared. There was a vulnerability in his batting [against] the ball coming back in. He found a way to work on his technique and counter it,” he added.

The former cricketer turned commentator also emphasised Gill’s sheer determination, pointing to his marathon knocks at Edgbaston and Manchester as proof of his growing stature.

"What was the defining part of what he achieved was the hunger and determination. That 269 and the hundred he got at Edgbaston, the amount of time he batted was astounding," he went on to add.