'Gill Will Be Questioned Whatever He Does' - Rediff

Theres a lot of pressure on him, and theres a lot of pressure on this series as well, because its crucial for Indias chances in the WTC.IMAGE: Shubman Gill faces a crucial Test series against Sri Lanka as India look to revive their World Test Championship campaign. Photograph: BCCI/XKey PointsShubman Gills leadership will be under intense scrutiny during the two Test series against Sri Lanka, which is crucial for Indias World Test Championship campaign.Matthew Hayden, the former Australia opener, believes Gill possesses the qualities to navigate the challenges of Test captaincy, despite Indias less convincing recent Test record.Murali Kartik, the former India spinner, emphasised that Gills fitness will be paramount, given his history of niggles, and that every decision he makes as captain will be closely examined. Shubman Gills leadership will face another major test when India take on Sri Lanka in a crucial two Test series, with former Australia opener Matthew Hayden backing him to handle the pressure while former India spinner Murali Kartik warned that every move the young captain makes will be under the microscope.India currently sit fifth in the World Test Championship standings with four wins, four defeats and a draw from nine matches. With the WTC final scheduled for June next year, India have little room for error in the remainder of the cycle.Hayden Backs Gills Leadership QualitiesHayden, who worked with Gill as Gujarat Titans batting coach during the 2026 IPL season, believes the India captain has the qualities to navigate the challenges ahead. In many ways India as a cricketing nation has also had a brilliant captain in Shubman Gill. He has many challenges to face, none of which is more important than the survival of Test match cricket, Hayden told ANI.Indias recent record in Tests has been less convincing than their performances in white-ball cricket, and Hayden acknowledged that the team still has work to do in the longest format.India are in a much better position to continue their winning ways in the short formats, 50-over in particular, and T20 cricket, and they do have some work to do as most nations do in and around their Test and longer formats, Haydos said.Im sure Shubman Gill will be up to that challenge. Hes a wonderful young man and a good leader, and hes got a good team around him, albeit a team thats going to need to perform some younger players and some more experienced players. But theyve got a job to do ahead of the World Test Championship final, which is in June next year, he added.Hayden also pointed to Indias WTC record as evidence of how difficult it has become to maintain dominance in Test cricket. Despite Indias strength and depth, they have won fewer than half of their matches in the current cycle.And when you look at things like the World Test Championship, where the relevance of Test match cricket is prioritised because of the point system, you see that India in spite of being a great team, has a winning percentage of less than 50%. You know, theyve played nine games in this World Test Championship calendar, and theyve lost four and won four, and theyve had one draw, he said.The former Australia opener added that Indias latest generation has plenty of talent, particularly in the shorter formats, but now faces the challenge of proving itself consistently in Test cricket.Good cricketers are good cricketers. It doesnt matter whether youre comparing the times of the Bradman era, the times of Sachin Tendulkar, the Sourav Ganguly era. The full member nation teams are always full of very good cricketers, Haydos said.What were seeing now in Indian cricket is a fantastic young group of players who have much to prove across all formats of the game, he added.Kartik Highlights Pressure on GillIMAGE: Shubman Gill and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of Indias Test series against Sri Lanka. Photograph: BCCI/XWhile Hayden is confident Gill can rise to the challenge, former India spinner Murali Kartik believes the Sri Lanka series could be particularly important in shaping the young captains leadership journey.Kartik has no concerns about Gills ability to score runs but believes his fitness will be crucial, particularly given the demands of leading India.Im not worried about Shubman Gills batting at all, because hes a class act, and hell find a way to get runs. The most important thing is, you want him to be fit, because hes been plagued by lots of injuries, lots of niggles. He starts a series, and then he misses a few games, and you just dont want that. Even in the warm-up game, he didnt start, Kartik pointed out.Gill missed the first two days of Indias warm-up match against Sri Lanka after sustaining a blow to his right ring finger during training. He returned on the final day and scored a brisk 44 off 54 balls as India chased down 207. Spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has since confirmed that Gill is very much ready for the opening Test in Galle.Kartik, however, stressed that Gill needs to be physically at his best throughout the series because of the added demands of captaincy.As a sportsman, I can say that you want to feel 100% with your body. Otherwise, if you have niggles and some part of you is aching, youre never able to give your 100%. So, from that point of view, I would want him to be fit and hale and hearty, added Kartik.For Gill, the pressure will not come only from his performances with the bat. Kartik believes every move the young captain makes will be closely examined, particularly in Indian cricket.From a point of view of a skipper, youre as good as your last game, youre as good as your last series, and with you having that crown on your head. I think heavy is the head which wears the crown, especially in Indian cricket.So, for that, Shubman Gill will always be questioned, whatever he do, whatever he does, whatever hes gonna do, and the most important thing is, there are so many people wholl dissect his every move, so its never easy.Theres a lot of pressure on him, and theres a lot of pressure on this series as well, because its crucial for Indias chances in the WTC.