As Shubman Gill’s first assignment as Test captain drew to a close with a memorable win at The Oval, which levelled the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the Indian skipper said there should not be any changes to the longest format of the game.
“I think Test cricket should be as it is. In my opinion, it is the most rewarding and satisfying format. You work the hardest to be able to get a win and the best thing about this format is that it always gives you a second chance, which none of the other formats give,” Gill said on Monday.
“So, if you keep working hard, if you keep doing the right things, there is always a second chance,” he said.
After losing the opening fixture in Leeds, India won the second Test in Birmingham, before going down at Lord’s in the third game. However, a draw in Manchester meant the series wasn’t over. And with a bunch of youngsters giving it their all, India created history at The Oval, beating England by six runs.
Before the series got underway, the right-hander said that he wouldn’t let captaincy affect his batting. He kept his word and scored 754 runs in the series, including a double hundred and three hundreds.
As a leader, Gill had to take care of the mental health of the players and that helped him. “If you think about others, your own pressure goes away. You are always thinking about someone else. In captaincy, or when I was batting, I felt that. By thinking about others, I didn’t feel much pressure on myself,” he said.
“I was always thinking about what I can do for the team. How can I help a person who is feeling low? So, all of these things helped me to be able to take pressure off myself…”
