IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Ex-England cricketer reminded of legendary India captain when watching Shubman Gill bat | Cricket News
Former England cricketer David Lloyd has drawn parallels between Shubman Gill‘s batting style and that of Mohammad Azharuddin following the Indian cricket team captain’s impressive century on the opening day of the second India-England Test at Edgbaston. The 25-year-old Indian skipper remained unbeaten at 114 runs off 216 deliveries, leading India to a strong position of 310/5 in 85 overs.Gill’s performance came at a crucial moment when India were 95/2, demonstrating his ability to balance defensive and aggressive play throughout his innings. This century marked his fourth against England and seventh overall in Test cricket.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The achievement placed Gill in distinguished company, joining Virat Kohli, Vijay Hazare, and Sunil Gavaskar as Indian cricketers who have scored centuries in their first two Tests as captain.“Shubman Gill has slotted in seamlessly at number four, with a century at Headingley and another hundred here. Batting looks effortless to him and he is wonderful to watch. He reminds me of Mohammad Azharuddin, who with his languid stroke play and relaxed mannerisms looked like nothing fazed him,” Lloyd wrote in his Daily Mail column.Lloyd also addressed Gill’s leadership capabilities, noting the challenges ahead for the young captain. “At just 25, Gill’s next challenge is to get comfortable with the captaincy because he looked a little confused at Leeds,” Lloyd observed.The Indian team made three strategic changes for the second Test, bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep to replace Shardul Thakur, Sai Sudharsan, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Lloyd criticised India’s team selection strategy for the second Test, suggesting it reflected a conservative approach aimed at securing a draw.“India made three changes and what I’m hearing is that their camp would be happy to get to Lord’s, just one-nil down. They lengthened the tail after the collapses at Headingley and my interpretation is that they’ve loaded this team with batters and would be happy with a draw. If you get into that mindset before you’ve even started, you’re shooting yourself in the foot,” Lloyd stated.
