Shubman Gill’s Test captaincy tenure did not begin as expected, with India losing the first Test of the Anderson-Tendullkar Trophy against England by five wickets at Headingley, Leeds.

Former India hitter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Shubman was attempting to prevent England batters from scoring boundaries in the hopes of resulting in wickets.

“Most people thought Shubman Gill was overly defensive. But I believe he was attempting to trap England by cutting off boundaries in the hope that wickets would ultimately fall,” Manjrekar told JioHotstar after the match.

Manjrekar likened Shubman’s captaincy approach to that of Virat Kohli, India’s most successful Test skipper. The cricketer-turned-commentator claimed that Kohli would have attacked the game with a much more aggressive mindset than Shubman.

“I hate to use Virat Kohli as a comparison because Shubman Gill is a young captain, but he would not have set up such a defensive field. That is unlike someone like Virat Kohli, who may declare, “We have enough runs, I’ll get you all out before tea.” “Whether he would have gotten wickets in an attacking field is uncertain, but he would have tried,” Manjrekar added.

He is a new captain, and we should recognise that: Sanjay Manjrekar

While Manjrekar recognised that England’s bowling attack has more all-rounders, he urged that Shubman take a more offensive strategy before switching to defence. However, the veteran analyst went on to say Shubman should be given some leeway because he has just recently taken over as captain.

“Gill doesn’t have the same seam attack as England; they don’t have Bumrah, but the English team has more all-rounders. Even with Jadeja, I believe India should have started with a conventional field instead of anticipating reverse sweeps. You should begin with an aggressive intent, even if just for a few overs, before switching to defence. That being said, I do not want to be unduly harsh of Shubman. He’s a new captain, and we should be respectful of him,” he said.