Latest news with #TestCaptain
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
India's Gill keen to focus on batting not captaincy pressure ahead of England series
June 19 (Reuters) - Newly-appointed India test skipper Shubman Gill said he wants to concentrate on his batting rather than the pressure of captaincy as his side prepares to start a new era following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Kohli and Rohit, former captains and batting mainstays of the team, both quit tests weeks before the start of India's five-test series in England. India named top-order batsman Gill as their new test captain in May, picking the 25-year-old over pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to replace Rohit. India have long recognised Gill's leadership qualities, previously naming him vice-captain in both white-ball formats, while he also had two seasons as skipper of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Gujarat Titans. "Honestly, when I want to go out there and bat, I just want to play as a batsman, not really want to think that I'm the captain of the team because I think that sometimes puts too much pressure on you," Gill told reporters on Thursday. "Whenever I'm going out there, I want to play as a batsman and want to dominate the opposition and be the best batsman in the series, and that's what I'm trying to look at." Gill said captaining India to a series win over England would be bigger than triumphing in the IPL, which he won with Gujarat in 2022. "Definitely the test series, in my opinion," he said. "You don't get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England, maybe two; if you are the best of your generation, maybe three. And IPL comes every year, and you get to have a crack at it every year. "So in my opinion, winning a test series in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa is bigger." Gill, who has scored 1,893 runs in 32 test matches with an average of 35.05, will drop down one spot in the order to take Kohli's old position at number four. "After Virat bhai (brother) retired, me and GG (coach Gautam Gambhir) bhai had a discussion about it, and we were both clear that he wanted me to bat at number four, and I was also clear that I also wanted to bat at that number," Gill said. India play England in the opener at Headingley on Friday.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why India chose Shubman Gill to take the hardest job in cricket: What lies behind the poker face, the similarities with Ben Stokes and how he's already clashed with England
If there was any doubt about Shubman Gill's place in the pecking order of Indian Test captains, it is dispelled by his nickname. Where one of his recent predecessors answered to 'King Kohli', Gill – the 37th man to take on cricket's toughest job – goes by 'Prince'. The moniker even appears on the sticker of his MRF-sponsored bat, leading to accusations on social media of arrogance.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Ben Stokes calls on England to adapt better ‘when we're up against the wall'
Ben Stokes may have described England's recent lack of Test action as 'a bit odd' but playing just one game in the past six months has given the side space to reconsider their approach before the series against India. Stokes has won 23 of his 36 games in charge while losing 12 and insisted: 'I don't think it's arrogant to say that we've been good over the last three years,' but with England's next 10 Tests coming against either India – starting at Headingley on Friday – or Australia they have prepared for potential adversity. 'We've had a lot of time to speak about what we want to do as a team and where we want to take ourselves,' Stokes said. 'We've had time to identify areas where we know we are incredibly strong, but also areas that we think we need to get better at. One of those was adapting better when we're up against the wall. 'When those moments come in the series, that they no doubt will, it's identifying them a lot quicker. We know that when we are on top of teams we are very, very good, and where we maybe have let ourselves down in the past is when we have been behind the game. It's about being smarter in those situations when it's obvious that the opposition is on top of us. 'I think if [you] look at some of the victories we've had, they have been in a manner of complete dominance of the game throughout. But when we've lost we probably look back on moments. Could we have been a lot better at slowing everything down and understanding where we are in the position of the game, to then allow us to play in that natural way that we like to go about things?' Stokes said he thinks 'conversations together in a room as a group are sometimes just as valuable as training in the nets and working harder', but he has found time for both, with his return to full fitness after an operation on his hamstring in January allowing him to work on his bowling action. 'I can't remember the last time I was able to work so hard on just technical stuff,' he said. 'To be able to get myself back to where I feel like I was before I had my injuries is really good, because there was naturally quite a few changes that crept into my action – how I was landing, how I was approaching the crease – because of my knee or because of my hamstring. It was nice to be able to get rid of those.' Stokes insisted that Ollie Pope's 171 against Zimbabwe had ended any discussion about his place in the team for this week's first Test. 'It would be remarkable to choose someone else if [his] last knock was 170,' he said. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion India arrive in search of their first series victory in England since 2007, having won just one of their last eight Tests and with a much-changed team, a situation their new captain, Shubman Gill, is looking at as a bonus. 'A lot of people talk like our side is not experienced, but there are also positives that we don't really have any baggage coming to England. That could be one thing that really makes a difference for us,' said Gill, who has delayed naming his team because of uncertainty over who will bat at No 3.
The National
6 days ago
- Sport
- The National
WTC final: South Africa celebrate first world title with victory over Australia at Lord's
Aiden Markram scored one of the most significant centuries of the modern era as South Africa defeated Australia to win the World Test Championship final at Lord's on Saturday. Markram hit a majestic 136 as the Proteas chased down the 282-run target with five wickets in hand to lift their first ever major world title. South Africa did win the 1998 ODI Champions Trophy but that tournament is considered an ICC tournament and not a world event. Saturday's victory was the first proper world title in cricket for South Africa, erasing the painful memories of defeat in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India in the Caribbean where they failed to chase down 30 runs from 30 balls with six wickets in hand. There was to be no repeat in London, though, as the Proteas chased down the runs with clinical precision. Victory had been set up on Friday by Markram and captain Temba Bavuma (66), who starred in a sensational stand of 147. The partnership ended early on Saturday as Bavuma was caught behind off the bowling of Pat Cummins. But David Bedingham (21) eased the nerves with less than 50 runs needed. It was a remarkable chase from South Africa who had been dismissed for just 138 in the first innings and had conceded a lead of 74. Victory was also special for South Africa as it etched the name of Bavuma in the annals of history as the first black African Test captain who was also the architect of their first world title. The diminutive batter had scored 36 important runs in the first innings as well. Australia, meanwhile, will be ruing their missed opportunity. Bavuma was dropped early in his innings by Steve Smith, who grassed a straightforward chance at slip off the bowling of Mitchell Starc. Smith hurt his finger in the process, and also Australia's chances in the final. While Markram and Bavuma starred with the bat for the Proteas, their match-winner was fast bowler Kagiso Rabada who picked up nine wickets on the match and restricted Australia to less than 220 in both innings.
Khaleej Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
India: Shubman Gill to be new Test captain, says cricket board
Shubman Gill will be the new Test captain for the Indian team, according to cricket board BCCI. This comes after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the white-ball series earlier this month. The squad for the England tour has also been announced.
