Shubman Gill is widely regarded as Virat Kohli's heir, and he reinforced that reputation in the opening Test against England in Leeds. But the new India Test captain had viewers drawing fresh comparisons after his animated Day 2 celebration went viral on social media. While many felt it oozed Kohli vibes, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar bizarrely ignored the India legend — a move that left the internet fuming.
It happened when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Joe Root, sparking a wild celebration from Gill. And although the England batter survived after the decision was overturned on DRS review, the celebration sparked a major discussion in the commentary panel.
Despite hinting that it resembled Kohli, Manjrekar knowingly did not utter his name in discussing Gill's celebration, which left fans unhappy. "Who is this—Shubman Gill or someone else? When he bats, he seems so calm, composed—a completely different personality. Captain Gill, we are seeing this version for the first time. His celebration… it reminded me of someone, but I'm struggling to place it. MS Dhoni never celebrated like that from mid-on, and it's definitely not Rohit Sharma's style. Could be a No. 4 batter... My third guess would be Ajit Wadekar," he said.
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Manjrekar's act even left fellow commentator Varun Aaron in splits, but the internet fumed as they repeatedly reminded him of “Virat Kohli.”
{{/usCountry}}Manjrekar's act even left fellow commentator Varun Aaron in splits, but the internet fumed as they repeatedly reminded him of “Virat Kohli.”
{{/usCountry}}Gill matches Kohli with Leeds ton
While there were apprehensions about Gill's selection as captain and even his place in the XI after a concerning tour of Australia, he shut down the talks after becoming the 23rd player to smash a ton on debut as a Test skipper and the fourth-youngest to achieve it after Herbie Taylor, Alastair Cook and Steve Smith. The list also comprised India legends like Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.
The ton also helped him complete 2000 runs in Test cricket in his 60th innings, thus matching Kohli again.
India scored 471 in the first innings, after which Jasprit Bumrah picked up a five-wicket haul to deny England a lead as the hosts fell short by just six runs. India added 90 more runs to the lead at the close of Day 3, losing two wickets.