Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli - (Source : @Johns/X.com)
On Tuesday, June 24, India’s start to the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle ended on a disappointing note as the visitors suffered a five-wicket defeat against England at Headingley. The match also marked Shubman Gill’s debut as Test captain.
Gill joined an unwanted list of Indian captains to lose their first match in charge. His defeat has drawn striking similarities to the first Tests as captain for Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile this article will look at them.
Virat Kohli's First Test As Captain
Virat Kohli’s first match as India’s Test captain was against Australia in Adelaide in 2014. India were set a target of 364 runs to win but managed only 315, suffering a 48-run defeat. The similarity lies in the fact that Gill’s India were tasked with defending around 370 runs, while Kohli’s India were chasing a similar target. Interestingly, Kohli suffered a defeat despite scoring twin centuries in his debut as captain. Notably, the skipper himself scored hundreds in both innings.
In Gill’s debut match as captain, the twin centuries came from Rishabh Pant’s bat rather than the captain himself, but the parallels remain clear.
Jasprit Bumrah's First Test As Captain
Jasprit Bumrah’s first Test as India’s captain was the one-off match against England in July 2022. In that series decider, India were required to defend 378 runs—very similar to the current scenario, where Gill’s side were defending 371 runs. However, in Bumrah’s match, England registered a seven-wicket win.
Interestingly, Rishabh Pant scored a century in both matches—under Gill’s captaincy debut as well as Jasprit Bumrah. Also, Joe Root was the star player in both games with fifty-plus scores. Although, the former England captain had scored a century in Bumrah's debut game as captain.
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