Something that might make India's young Test captain Shubman Gill not ready for the Test captaincy is that former Indian player Arun Lal lauds that character trait. Lal seems to release a sigh of relief that Gill is not an "auto-pilot captain." The fact that he takes suggestions from his seniors KL Rahul or Ravindra Jadeja, makes Gill look flexible in the team.
Well, during Leeds's defeat, KL was seen setting the field as Gill went numb for minutes. Many questioned Gill's leading capabilities, and he is just the captain on paper. However, Lal contradicts the thoughts. In a recent chat with PTI, Arun Lal said,
“I love Shubman as a cricketer, he is awesome but I never realised he was this good. I’m sure nobody else did either. He has unbelievable talent, unbelievable calm. It’s almost as though he knows what ball is coming before it’s bowled."
He added,
“He’s not an auto-pilot captain, which I admire. He listens, takes advice from (KL) Rahul, (Ravindra) Jadeja and others. His patience and self-assurance are rubbing off on the group. He’s going to be here for a long, long time."
Read also: Watch: Bumrah’s Funny Banter with ‘Lord’ Shardul at Lord’s Goes Viral
The Indian team did the unthinkable at Edgbaston: Arun Lal
India toured England with a young team, with countable heads having toured England earlier. And like many, Arun Lal did not have high expectations. But according to him, coming back dominantly at Edgbaston was unthinkable and stunning. Without shying away from his previous speculations, Lala stated,
"I must admit that when this team was going to England, I didn’t think they had this kind of determination, this kind of belief, this kind of capability. This team has performed far better than expected, and I am so glad about that. These youngsters, once given a chance and that confidence, you better watch out. If you’re sitting out, it will be difficult to break in soon.”
However, he admitted that he needs Kuldeep Yadav on the track. He is not in favor of playing a batting-heavy team till 9, especially when the team has some classy spinner like Kuldeep Yadav warming the bench.
