“They were fantastic throughout the five days” - Jamie Smith backs Shubman Gill-led Team India despite Leeds Test defeat

In contrast to the criticism Indian Test captain Shubman Gill has been receiving from the former cricketers, the England keeper-batter Jamie Smith has come out in his defense, stating that India’s performance under Gill was fantastic throughout the five days of the Leeds Test.

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Interestingly, Gill started off his captaincy stint with an exceptional 147-run knock in the first innings. Furthermore, India managed to post a 371-run target for England in the fourth innings. However, with the surface not assisting Indian bowlers, England comfortably cruised past the target to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Smith, who scored valuable knocks of 40 and an unbeaten 44 in both innings, hailed Team India’s effort throughout five days of the Leeds Test, asserting that the Gill-led side kept trying all day to get those 10 wickets. 

“When they’re trying to get 10 wickets and you’re chasing 370, it’s not everyday that gets done. There could have been some head-downs at the end but they kept trying all day. I see a lot of chat about maybe some inexperience on their part but I thought they were fantastic throughout the five days,” Smith told ESPNCricinfo.

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“It’s hard when you’re out there and you’re focused on the job at hand... You know the importance of that moment, when you have the opportunity to start the series with a win, that your focus is all on that,” he added.

Notably, this was Gill’s first-ever Test as captain after the veteran duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement ahead of the England tour in the new World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. 

Interestingly, Gill received a lot of flak from former Indian and English cricketers, stating that he was more reactive rather than being proactive on the field. India will lock horns with England in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting on Wednesday, July 2.

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