India's newest Test captain, Shubman Gill, has gotten off to a solid start to his captaincy career. In his first two Tests as captain, the right-hand batter amassed more than 500 runs. The second Test was truly special for the 25-year-old as he scored a career best 269 runs and followed up with a sparkling 163. However, while his form has looked good, the visitors are trailing 1-2 after the conclusion of the third Lord's Test. England's former captain David Gower, while heaping praise on India skipper, also stated that he needs to take a few captaincy lessons from his counterpart Ben Stokes.
The southpaw truly proved why he owns big moments, as he bowled a marathon 10-over spell unchanged on the last day of the Lord's Test, accounting for wickets of KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah. The all-rounder also produced valuable knocks to earn his fourth player of the match award at Lord's - the most for any cricketer in one ground. Gower said that Gill should take notes from Stokes on how to lead from the front and own big moments.
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“Building a team depends on so many things. At the start of the series, people focused on the absence of Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli). But Shubman stepped up and played beautifully in two Tests,” said Gower in an interview with Sportstar. “You don’t have to be 34 to lead — you can be 24, if you’ve got talent, a good head, and a solid technique. That kind of player can fill the gap.”
David Gower heaps praise on Ben Stokes, says his bowling spurred England on
While everyone thought on Day five that Braydon Carse should be bowling, it was Ben Stokes who started with proceedings. The pacer was immediately rewarded in the first half hour as he dismissed the in-form Rahul for 39 runs. The southpaw kept on bowling and was also at his miserly best. Gower felt his bowling on day five motivated the whole England team.
“Team-building often comes down to individual moments. Look at Stokes at Lord’s — this is the Stokes we’ve missed: bowling 90 miles an hour, driving the attack forward. You want all your key players at peak performance — that’s what shifts a match,” said Gower.
Also read: IND vs ENG: Ben Stokes Jofra Archer planned to injure Jasprit Bumrah, claims ex Indian cricketer
While Gill is still learning the art of captaincy, a few inputs from the senior guys will surely help the youngster to ease into the demanding role.
