Indian cricket team skipper Shubman Gill revealed the fiery message from head coach Gautam Gambhir that motivated them during the Test series against England. It was a stunning show from the visitors as Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were the top performers as India registered a six-run win to level the five-match Test series 2-2. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their Test retirements and Jasprit Bumrah missing the Test due to workload management, it was a young team under a new captain that achieved a massive feat in England. Gill said that Gambhir wanted them to not think of themselves as a ‘young team’ but a ‘gun team’ that is capable of pulling off these kind of significant results.
“We had the option of taking the new ball, but the way they were bowling, we thought they could do the job. We had wicket-taking options. We wanted them to score 30 singles; we knew they were under pressure. We wanted to take the game deep. The way Brook and Root were going, not many teams in the world would have been given a chance,” Gill told reporters after victory.
“Thinking about other players put less pressure on me because I was focused on everyone, not just myself. That helped. Gautam Gambhir told us not to think of ourselves as a young team, but as a gun team,” he added.
Following his side’s series draw against England, Indian skipper Shubman Gill hailed pacer Mohammed Siraj, the leading wicket-taker of the series, calling him a “captain’s dream.”
Siraj’s inspirational spell during the fifth and final Test was perhaps the biggest reason why Team India left the England shores with their heads held high and the series scoreline.
He took a total of 23 wickets in the series at an average of 32.43, with best figures of 6/70. In the final Test, he took a total of nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
While defending 374, India was in trouble with England at 301/3 at one point, but along with Prasidh Krishna, Siraj bowled relentlessly, pulling back the match ball-by-ball, wicket-by-wicket.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Gill said, “He (Siraj) is a captain’s dream. Coming in five Test matches, every ball, every spell that he bowled gave his all, and every captain, every team wants a player like him. We are very fortunate to have him in that team.”
(With ANI inputs)