Shubman Gill reminds David Lloyd of ex-IND skipper and it's not Rohit, Kohli or Dhoni: ‘Relaxed mannerisms looked like…’

David Lloyd was highly impressed with Shubman Gill's batting and compared his playing style to the legendary India batter.

Shubman Gill received praises from all corners after producing another stellar knock against England and registering back-to-back centuries in the Test series. The Indian skipper led from the front again and slammed a brilliant century at Edgbaston to pull India out of trouble. The 25-year-old has flourished as a batter since taking over charge as Test skipper; he has shown great composure with the bat in both matches. With back-to-back centuries, the transition from Virat Kohli to him also looks steady at the moment.

Shubman Gill scored a majestic century at Edgbaston, Birmingham. (HT_PRINT)

On Day 1 of the Edgbaston Test, Gill batted with remarkable poise, barely making a mistake as he blunted England’s attack with assured strokeplay and patient temperament. Bringing up his seventh Test century off 199 balls — the slowest of his career — Gill showcased maturity and control in testing conditions. His unbeaten 114 formed the backbone of India's innings on Day 1, with Ravindra Jadeja (41*) offering solid support at the other end as the visitors reached stumps at 310/5.

Former England cricketer David Lloyd was highly impressed with Gill's batting and compared his playing style to legendary India batter Mohammad Azharuddin.

"Shubman Gill has slotted in seamlessly at number four, with a century at Headingley and another hundred here. Batting looks effortless to him and he is wonderful to watch. He reminds me of Mohammad Azharuddin, who with his languid stroke play and relaxed mannerisms looked like nothing fazed him," Lloyd wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

However, Lloyd is still not very convinced about Shubman Gill, the captain. He stated he was confused in the first Test and now has the opportunity to avoid repeating the same mistakes in Edgbaston.

"At just 25, Gill’s next challenge is to get comfortable with the captaincy because he looked a little confused at Leeds," he added.

Meanwhile, India made three changes for the second Test, with the headline decision being Jasprit Bumrah’s exclusion as part of a pre-determined workload management plan that limited him to three matches in the five-Test series. Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan also missed out on the playing XI. However, Bumrah's omission—especially with India trailing 0-1—sparked widespread criticism. Former cricketers like Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar questioned the logic behind resting the team’s premier pacer, particularly with a five-day gap between the two Tests. The move left many surprised, given the importance of bouncing back in the series.