New Delhi, July 24: Shubman Gill's aggressive approach has sparked a debate but former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel says it's not new and lauded the young captain for his assertiveness and clarity in executing plans during the ongoing England series.
Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord's Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease towards the end of the third day of the Test.
India had managed to equal England's first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn't possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and Gill exchanged words with England openers.
The India skipper later called the delay "not in the spirit of the game."
Asked if Gill's aggressive stance was surprising, Patel, who served as assistant coach of Gill-led Gujarat Titans in the IPL, said, "No, it's not. We've seen him do this in the IPL too. This sport is about expressing emotions as long as you don't cross the line, and I don't think Shubman crossed the line at all."
"It was clear how slowly the English batsmen were walking in. Teams like England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa often use the term 'spirit of the game' conveniently.
"So, there was nothing wrong with Gill asking the English media if it's okay to come to bat 90 seconds late. That was a deliberate attempt. I don't think Shubman did anything wrong," Patel told reporters during a JioHotstar virtual interaction.
On Gill's India captaincy, he said, "This is new to him and he’s improving. With Gujarat Titans, whatever I've observed about him, he's been very assertive. He knows what he wants. He's very clear with his plans and ideas. |
