Shubman Gill is not the Virat Kohli kind of personality, not that kind of captain: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed the new Indian Test captain, Shubman Gill, for being too defensive with his approach in the Leeds Test against England, which India lost by five wickets.

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Despite five centuries scored in the Leeds Test by the Indian batters, they failed to live up to the expectations with the ball in the fourth innings as England batters cruised past the 371-run target in the fourth innings. 

While a lot of former cricketers slammed Gill for being reactive rather than proactive on the field, Manjrekar also joined the queue, stating that Kohli would’ve handled things differently if he were captaining the same side.

Manjrekar further asserted that Gill and Co. failed to utilize the overcast conditions by being too defensive on the field. Though Manjrekar was reluctant to compare him with Kohli, he stated that the former Indian captain would’ve shown the opposition that he is trying to get them out.

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“Overcast conditions, I know the ball wasn't doing too much, but they pre-empted the English approach and had a far too defensive field. I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison because it's unfair on the young man, but you can just imagine Virat Kohli in that situation,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.

“Whether they would have got wickets or not, Kohli would have shown the opposition that he's trying to get them out. Gill is not that kind of personality, nor that kind of captain. But maybe don't go so defensive, pre-empting things,” he added.

Though Gill failed to take the Indian side over the winning line, he was successful as a batter, scoring a 147-run knock in the first innings to start his captaincy stint on an impressive note. With the second Test, starting on Wednesday, July 2, Gill would be aiming to turn the tables.

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