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“I Was Against Gill As Captain...”: Manjrekar Changes His Mind After Honest Admission

Rajgeeta Yadav

Shubman Gill silences critics [Source: AP Photos and @DrBishnuPanigr1/X.com]Shubman Gill silences critics [Source: AP Photos and @DrBishnuPanigr1/X.com]

Shubman Gill proved his critics wrong in the best possible way. On Day 1 of the first Test match between India and England at Headingley, the young batter led from the front and played a captain’s knock that will be remembered for a long time. 

After taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket, many questioned whether Gill was ready for such a huge responsibility. But with an unbeaten century on debut as captain, Gill showed he was more than ready to lead Team India.

Shubman Gill Proves A Point With The Bat

He stayed not out on 127 at the end of the first day’s play, guiding India to a dominant position with the scoreboard reading 359/3. His confidence, calmness, and intent spoke volumes about his maturity and leadership. The innings also marked his entry into the record books, as he became the 23rd cricketer in the world to score a century in his first innings as captain and the fourth youngest to do so.

Sanjay Manjrekar Takes His Words Back

Seeing this kind of performance, even those who had doubted his appointment as captain began to admit they were wrong. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, who had openly questioned the decision to hand Gill the captaincy, admitted during the post-day discussion on Match Centre 

"Let me go right back to when he was made captain - I was against it, to be honest. I felt Jasprit Bumrah would have been the better and more logical choice, without thinking too far ahead into the future. I did not think it was the right decision at the time. But was Shubman Gill going to be a failure as captain? No," Manjrekar said.

Manjrekar’s change of heart came after watching Gill take complete charge of the innings and lead India with confidence. It wasn’t just a personal milestone for Gill. With this century, he also crossed 2,000 runs in Test cricket, becoming only the second Indian after Virat Kohli to do so on captaincy debut. His partner at the crease, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, also delivered a solid performance, remaining unbeaten on 65 and crossing the 3,000-run mark in Tests.

The day was a tough one for England. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, their bowlers struggled to make an impact. Ben Stokes was the only one who found some success, picking up 2 wickets for 43 runs. Brydon Carse also managed to take a wicket but gave away 70 runs. 

India’s total of 359/3 by the end of Day 1 became their highest-ever score on an opening day of a Test in England, surpassing the previous record of 338/7 at Edgbaston in 2022.