“Captaining India is never easy” - Anil Kumble heaps praise on Shubman Gill for five centuries in seven Tests as captain

Former Indian spinner and commentator Anil Kumble has heaped praise on the Indian Test captain Shubman Gill, who smacked his fifth Test ton as a captain in his seven Tests, stealing the limelight among the Indian cricketing fraternity.

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Speaking on JioHotstar, Kumble has stated that while captaining the Indian team isn’t an easy job, Gill has done an exceptional job in dealing with the on-field and off-field situations since taking over the captaincy. 

"Captaining India is never easy. It’s not just about on-field decisions but also handling several responsibilities off it, and Shubman has done exceptionally well. On the field, he’s been outstanding, and as a batter, he’s shown great composure since taking over the captaincy. Today was no different. He read the situation perfectly, attacked the spinners when needed, and maintained the scoring rate,” Kumble said on JioHotstar.

Furthermore, Kumble reckoned that Gill has earned respect in the dressing room by scoring a lot of runs in the initial days of his captaincy, while the majority of the captains will take a lot of time to settle down before establishing themselves.

"For a young captain, scoring runs is vital. It earns respect in the dressing room, strengthens leadership, and builds authority. Usually, experienced players inherit captaincy after years of establishing themselves, but for Shubman, to step up early and perform this well reflects great maturity and bodes well for India’s future," he added.

For the unversed, Gill smacked an exceptional 129-run unbeaten knock off 196 balls with 16 fours and two sixes with a strike rate of 65.82 on Day 2 of the second and final Test against the West Indies in Delhi. Interestingly, this was his fifth century in seven Tests as a captain.

Before this series, Gill led the Indian team to a series-levelling 2-2 scoreline against England in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy.

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