Shubman Gill’s first Test match as captaincy debut didn’t unfold as he might have envisioned, as India lost to England by five wickets in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Leeds. Gill came under some criticism for his management, particularly with regard to his fielding and tactics when decisions mattered.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on Gill’s leadership, suggesting that the young captain’s field strategy leaned too much on the defensive side. “Most people felt Shubman Gill went too defensive. But I think he was trying to trap England by cutting off boundaries, hoping the wickets would come eventually,” Manjrekar explained during his analysis on JioHotstar following the match.

Manjrekar also compared Gill’s captaincy to that of Virat Kohli, India's most successful Test leader. “I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison, as Shubman Gill is a young captain, but he would not have put such a defensive field. That's different from someone like Virat Kohli, who might say, We have enough runs; I'll get you all out before Tea. Whether he would have gotten wickets with an attacking field is not guaranteed, but he would have been at it,” he said.

‘Start With Attacking Intent, Then Go Defensive’

The former batter acknowledged that England’s bowling unit had more all-round options and depth but still felt India could have started more aggressively. “Gill doesn't have the same seam attack as England—though they don't have Bumrah—but the English team has more all-round options. Even with Jadeja, I felt India should've started with a standard field rather than pre-empting reverse sweeps,” he said.

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Still, Manjrekar was careful not to be too harsh on the young leader. “You want to start with attacking intent—even if only for a few overs—before going defensive. That said, I don't want to be overly critical of Shubman. He's a new captain, and we should be understanding of that,” he concluded.