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"24 Hours...": Shastri Slams Shubman Gill's Captaincy For 'Missing Tactics' On Day 3

Soumyajit Dutta

Ravi Shastri slams Shubman Gill [Source: @kingxbaldwin_/X.com]Ravi Shastri slams Shubman Gill [Source: @kingxbaldwin_/X.com]

Indian skipper Shubman Gill faced sharp criticism for delaying off-spinner Washington Sundar's introduction until the 68th over on Day 3 of the Manchester Test. Despite Sundar taking four wickets in England's second innings at Lord's, Gill only turned to him after England had surged to a commanding 544/7, holding a 186-run lead. Sundar immediately vindicated himself by dismissing Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri delivered a scathing assessment of Gill's tactics. He slammed the decision to hold Sundar back as fundamentally wrong, suggesting it sent a poor message to the bowler after his Lord's performance.

Ravi Shastri Blasts Gill For Not Believing In Spinner

Speaking to Sky Sports, Shastri didn't mince words while blasting Gill's poor decision to bring in Sundar late as he also implied that would have hurt the spinner's confidence.

“He took four wickets in the last game. Then you bring that bloke after 67, 69 overs. I mean, what does it tell that player? Here, I've taken four. I should be like a front-runner, bowling within the first 30, 35 overs. And you're getting me on after 69. And then he takes the first two wickets,” Shastri said.

Shastri highlighted multiple tactical errors, including not giving Mohammed Siraj the new ball over debutant Kamboj and being late to employ the bouncer strategy.

“So tactically, I thought they were found wanting. I thought Siraj should have taken the new ball yesterday. Instead of giving it to Kamboj, who's new, playing his first Test match. That let the pressure off England. Then the bouncer tactic, which they're 24 hours late. That should have been tried yesterday to see if they could have made further inroads. So tactically a lot was missing," Shastri added.

Shastri Wants Gill To Improve As A Leader

However, Shastri expressed confidence that Shubman Gill will improve with experience, drawing a contrast with Virat Kohli's initial aggressive captaincy style.

“I'll cite an example of Virat when he took over. He was the other way, as far as Shubman goes. He was extra, ultra-aggressive... Sometimes you've got to, you know, respect the conditions and set fields accordingly. And that's why I think the team management becomes now crucial in helping someone like Shubman Gill over the first year and a half. I think that is the key,” Shastri concluded.

Meanwhile, India is struggling against England on Day 3 at Manchester. At Stumps, England keeps their head held high with Ben Stokes (77) and Liam Dawson at the crease. With only 2 days of gameplay left, it will be interesting to see whether England manoeuvres this lead or the match ends in a stalemate.