Shubman Gill suffered a serious injury in the form of neck cramps during the first Test at Eden Gardens. Former Indian batsman Abhinav Mukund has hit out at the BCCI for its growing inclination towards the appointment of Shubman Gill as the captain of all formats.
India had to deal with an injury to their captain Shubman Gill, who suffered neck spasms and was admitted to hospital. However, India have faltered in the ongoing series after a 30-run defeat in the first match at the Eden Gardens.
After being discharged from the hospital following the injury, he is uncertain about taking part in the second Test to be played in Guwahati on November 22. This will be a crucial opportunity for them to revive their WTC status.
India does not agree with the approach of divided captaincy of England-Australia
After being appointed the Test and ODI captain for India, the BCCI and the Indian management have pushed for Gill to be promoted as India’s captain for all upcoming formats. He is currently the vice-captain in T20Is.
Shubman Gill was officially named India’s ODI captain ahead of the Australia tour, as he replaced former skipper Rohit Sharma. The 35-year-old may also be seen as India’s T20I captain after Suryakumar Yadav is expected to make a change in leadership.
Other leading nations like England and Australia have adopted the ideology of dividing the captaincy to manage the workload and maintain clarity across all formats. On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir has argued that India performs best under the captain across formats.
Abhinav Mukund said, “I don’t think Shubman Gill should be the captain of all formats.”
Former Indian opening batsman Abhinav Mukund has criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s growing affection towards giving Gill the captaincy of all formats. However, he has argued that India would benefit more from a divided leadership model.
Mukund played seven Tests for India and then became a prominent voice in cricket broadcasting for India. He has acknowledged the leadership qualities of the Indian captain, but has not yet put forward the concept of split captaincy.
“I think Shubman has the potential to be the captain of all formats, but I don’t think India should be the captain of all formats now,” Mukund said on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.
He said, “Split captaincy is a smart move. Shubman Gill has been given the responsibility of taking command in Tests and he will be under huge pressure.”
The former Indian cricketer said, “Everyone at home expects India to win – no questions asked.”
He further informed that the ongoing series against South Africa can be considered as one of Gill’s first challenges on the home ground. India’s last home series against New Zealand ended in a 3-0 defeat, while they bounced back with a 2-0 win over the West Indies last month.
“It’s an important series,” he said. “The England series was a big confidence booster for India. At home, everyone expects India to win – no questions asked.”
Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, India are currently placed fourth on the WTC points table, with 52 points from 8 matches and a PCT which is around 55. If they win the Guwahati Test, they can return to third place, while South Africa will once again slip to number one. 4.
Also read: Not Rohit Sharma! India’s captain for South Africa ODI finalized after Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s exit
