How to Gift England 600 Runs with a Smile

Shubman Gill, India’s bright-eyed “Prince” of cricket, was anointed Test captain at the tender age of 25. What a glorious spectacle it was to watch him helm India’s ship during the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. With the series on a knife’s edge, young Gill, in only his fourth game as captain, decided to showcase his tactical genius—or lack thereof—by allowing England to pile up a colossal 600-plus runs. Truly, a masterclass in how to let a game slip through your fingers like sand at a beach party you didn’t mean to attend.

Let’s set the scene: India, trailing 2-1, needed to claw their way back. England, led by the relentless Ben Stokes, Zak Crawley, and Ben Duckett, were ready to feast on India’s bowling attack. And feast they did, thanks to Gill’s innovative approach to captaincy, which seemed to involve waiting for divine intervention while England’s batsmen treated the Indian bowlers like piñatas at a birthday bash. By the end of Day 3, England had swaggered to 544/7, eventually crossing 600, leaving India’s bowlers looking like they’d just run a marathon in flip-flops.

Now, let’s talk about Gill’s pièce de résistance: his baffling reluctance to use spin. India, a nation synonymous with spin wizardry, boasts a legacy of twirlers who’ve made batsmen dance to their tunes. Yet, Gill, in his infinite wisdom, decided to keep Washington Sundar cooling his heels until the 69th over. Sixty-nine overs! That’s not a bowling change; that’s a geological era. Sundar, who had taken four wickets in the previous Test at Lord’s, was apparently deemed less threatening than a gentle breeze. Meanwhile, England’s batsmen were having a picnic, piling on runs as Gill stuck with his pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, like a kid clinging to his favorite toy long after it’s broken.

Sanjay Manjrekar, never one to mince words, called this a “major red flag” in Gill’s captaincy, suggesting the young skipper didn’t rate his spinners. Ravi Shastri, with the exasperation of a man watching his team ignore a cheat code, urged Gill to trust Sundar more, pointing out how spinners thrive on longer spells. But no, Gill preferred to let England’s batsmen settle in, offering them the kind of comfort you’d expect from a five-star resort, not a Test match.

Then there’s the team selection—oh, what a stroke of brilliance! With injuries to Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, India had a golden opportunity to unleash Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner who’s been known to tie batsmen in knots. Instead, Gill and the think-tank opted for debutant medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj, prioritising batting depth over a genuine wicket-taking threat. Because, clearly, when you’re up against a rampaging England side, what you need is another tail-ender to pad the scorecard, not a bowler who might actually disrupt the party.

Gill’s field placements were equally inspired. Social media was abuzz with fans lamenting his reactive approach, with one user brilliantly summarizing it: “Place a fielder where the previous ball boundary was scored. That’s it.” Proactive captaincy? Nah, that’s for amateurs.

To be fair, Gill’s inexperience is as glaring as a neon sign in a blackout. Thrust into the deep end against a formidable England side in seaming conditions, he’s been handed a captaincy role that even seasoned pros would find daunting. This isn’t the IPL, where he led Gujarat Titans to a respectable third place in 2025. This is Test cricket in England, where the ghosts of Anderson and Broad still linger, and every decision is scrutinized like a crime scene. Stuart Broad, in a rare moment of empathy, defended Gill, noting that even Pat Cummins struggled to contain England at Old Trafford in 2023. But let’s not get carried away with the sympathy card—Gill’s job is to lead, not to learn on the fly while England rack up runs like they’re playing a video game on easy mode.

And yet, there’s a glimmer of irony here. Gill, the batsman, has been nothing short of sensational. His 430 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston, including a record-breaking 269 and a 161, made him the first player in 148 years to score a double century and a 150 in the same match. He’s shattered records faster than a toddler breaks toys, becoming the second Indian captain to score centuries in his first two Tests. But captaincy? That’s a different beast. While his bat sings, his leadership stumbles, like a karaoke singer forgetting the lyrics mid-song.

So, what’s the verdict? Gill’s captaincy in the fourth Test was a case study in how not to do it.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai.)