What a spectacular 21 days it has been for Shubman Gill. The India captain has been in red-hot form, smashing three centuries in his last five innings. On May 29, Gill bludgeoned the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 before following it up with his 11th Test century in the one-off game against Afghanistan. Then, after guiding India to a seven-wicket win in the rain-marred ODI at Dharamsala with an unbeaten 85, Gill plundered a mammoth 154 to knock the stuffing out of the Afghans in the hot, sweltering conditions of Lucknow. Three weeks, three centuries. Gill is on a roll.
Reacting to Gill’s masterclass, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar was delighted to see the batter making the most of his captaincy responsibilities. Leading a team either brings out the best in a player or the worst. There is nothing in between, and fortunately for India, it has brought out the very best in Gill, with the 26-year-old continuing to make merry.
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“When you’re not getting runs, you’re not confident about making those marginal moves that come from your gut feel, like holding back a bowler who has bowled well, giving him an extra over, or moving a fielder from a certain position. That gut feel is a lot stronger when you’re personally performing. But if you’re not performing, even when you get a gut feel, you’re apprehensive about making that call because you’re worried about getting it wrong. Since you’re also not performing as a player, you’ll be criticised for your captaincy as well,” Gavaskar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’ show.
Brar impresses Gavaskar too
Besides Gill, Ishan Kishan starred with the bat, scoring 125, and together, their double-century partnership played a huge role in India putting over 400 runs on the board. Later, with the ball, the two rookie pacers Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav, made quite the impact, sharing five wickets to bundle Afghanistan for 232. Gavaskar was high on praise for Brar, in particular, highlighting the traits he brings to the table.
“His run-up is so good, his rhythm is so good, he was hitting the deck and getting the ball to climb. The wicket he got of Gurbaz was particularly impressive because of the way that bouncer followed him. It’s very accurate. It comes right at you, exactly where the batter does not want it. I think the selection committee deserves all the compliments. If you look at his stats, or his India A performances, they’re okay, but not to the extent where you would say he deserved an India cap. However, the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, saw something in him, and that’s why they picked him. He’s also been backed by the management, which is so important,” added the former India captain.
