Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes that Shubman Gill cannot captain India in all three formats of the game.
Speaking to ANI, Panesar said that Gill cannot match Virat Kohli’s aggression.
“He is a complacent cricketer. He has a lot of talent, but he starts playing lazy shots in the game. Virat Kohli’s intensity and aggression are evident in all formats. Shubman Gill can’t do that. It’s too much for him. He can’t be the captain of all formats. It is too much for him. In the white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli that much. But yes, in Test Cricket, it’s evident that Virat Kohli is not there, and the team’s intensity is lower,” he said.
Gill was handed the Test captaincy after Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket. At the beginning, many experts doubted the selectors’ decision. However, Gill gave a strong reply by leading from the front in the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy in England, finishing as the highest run-scorer of the series. Under his leadership, India fought back well to level the series 2-2.
Later, Gill was also given the ODI captaincy after Rohit Sharma and made a comeback in the T20I setup as vice-captain. However, his return to the shortest format did not go well in terms of batting performance and, unfortunately, he failed to secure a place in the 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Panesar believes it will take time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket, especially after being whitewashed twice at home within a year, and explained the reasons behind his views.
“Indian players are not ready for Test Cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI don’t perform well in Test Cricket. The gap between the Ranji Trophy and India’s Test team is significant. The Ranji Trophy system is also very weak. The boys just want to play in IPL. They want to get a big contract. They want to play in T20I and ODI. It takes a lot of hard work in 4-day cricket. That’s why they want to give less time. They make more money in T20 cricket. They make less money in Test Cricket. But the reality is that the domestic cricket of the Ranji Trophy is very weak. It will take some time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket,” he added.
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