In the aftermath of the escalating tensions in the Lord’s Test last week, former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik said he has been impressed with Shubman Gill standing his ground and showing leadership so early in his tenure as captain.
In the dying moments of play on Day 3, Gill had been in an altercation with England opener Zak Crawley over what he felt were the batter’s deliberate attempts to cause delays. More heated exchanges followed in the rest of the Test as the hosts ran their way to a thrilling 22-run victory.
Ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester, which started on Wednesday, Gill had said in his press conference that while he was not proud of everything he did, he felt he was only standing up for his team against tactics he felt are “not in the spirit of the game.”
“It’s good to be fiesty, you need to have an identity as a captain” 🔥
DK is loving Shubman Gill‘s approach to captaining India 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/O4VjzicFaL
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2025
Karthik felt that Gill’s response showed his potential as a leader. “I have really enjoyed him as a captain so far. On the field, he is improving. But off the field is where is where I have been most impressed,” he said on Sky Sports. “I think yesterday’s press conference was absolutely box office.”
“I like it, it is good to be feisty, You need to have an identity as a captain. And Shubman Gill, from that third day at Lord’s, has shown that he has a lot of aggression inside him. The result may not have gone his way but the point is it has made for a thrilling Test series so far and his captaincy is right at the forefront of it, backed by his batting skills as well,” Karthik added.
Gill agreed with Karthik’s assessment when he put the charged atmosphere down to his motivation to win. “It didn’t just come out of nowhere. And we had no intention of doing that whatsoever. But you’re playing a game, you’re playing to win, and there are a lot of emotions involved,” he had said on Tuesday.
