'There are going to be shots taken at me': Shubman Gill gives smashing reply after his captaincy credentials doubted

Shubman Gill said he stood by his team selection at The Oval, knew criticism would come if India lost, but made decisions he believed were best for the team.

Shubman Gill, on Monday, gave a fitting reply to his critics after leading India to a famous win at The Oval, which helped the visitors level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2. India defeated a Ben Stokes-less England by six runs as Mohammed Siraj claimed a five-wicket haul on the final morning under overcast London skies, bowling the hosts out for 396.

India's captain Shubman Gill acknowledges the crowd after India won the fifth Test match against England, at The Oval cricket ground (PTI)

The selection committee’s decision to name the young Gill as India’s new Test captain for such a crucial tour, ahead of a few experienced alternatives, had raised quite a few eyebrows. The 25-year-old has since been under the scanner, with experts and critics dissecting each of his decisions throughout the series.

Team selection was among the biggest criticisms he faced. Even ahead of the series decider in London, Gill was questioned for not picking enough wicket-taking options, instead choosing to strengthen the batting line-up with the inclusion of Karun Nair.

Speaking to the media after the Oval win, Gill said he understood the criticism around team selection, especially not picking a fourth pacer, but stood by his choices, stressing that Nair vindicated the call with his crucial fifty — and while he knew backlash would’ve followed had India lost, he was at peace knowing the decision was made in the team’s best interest.

“You keep learning every day, because I learnt a lot from Day 1 in the series, till the last day. There were a lot of people there should have been a fourth fast bowler, but the guy who played instead of the fourth bowler. Karun's fifty in the first innings was equally important for us, which took us to a decent total. Such opinions will keep forming, especially in hindsight, after the match gets completed. But you got to weigh in what is important for you at that moment. We felt three fast bowlers will get the job done for us and they delivered. When decisions go your way, people will praise you, but had it not gone India's way, I am aware that shots would have been taken at me and I am fine with that because at the end of the day I know I made the decision with was best for the team,” he said.

Nair makes most of ‘third chance’

Nair returned to the Indian team after eight years, earning a call-up on the back of a record-breaking domestic season. However, he failed to impress in the first three Tests, managing just 133 runs with a solitary half-century, and was subsequently dropped for the fourth Test in Manchester.

While many believed it marked the end of Nair’s ‘second chance’ in international cricket, he was recalled for the series finale, where he scored a gritty 109-ball 57 to help India post a first-innings total of 224. England managed only a 23-run lead, riding on fifties from Zak Crawley and Harry Brook, before India set them a challenging 374-run target, powered by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century.

Siraj and Prasidh Krishna then wreaked havoc, sharing nine wickets between them, as England fell short by just six runs.