logo
‘Virat Kohli said people think I'm a great Test cricketer…': Shubman Gill used same ‘captaincy line', reveals Karthik

‘Virat Kohli said people think I'm a great Test cricketer…': Shubman Gill used same ‘captaincy line', reveals Karthik

Hindustan Times15 hours ago
Shubman Gill couldn't have asked for a better start to life as Indian captain, particularly with the bat in his hand. After a century in the first Test of his career as skipper in Leeds, Gill had the kind of match that comes to define legacies: 269 in the first innings, followed by 161 in the second at Edgbaston, a player-of-the-match performance to help India level the series in England. Shubman Gill waves to fans after receiving the player of the match medal.(AP)
Gill's entire performance in Birmingham was so authoritative and in control that it reminded Dinesh Karthik of a former India captain and made him think Gill was going to step into those captaincy boots like a duck takes to water.
Speaking on Sky Cricket's podcast, Karthik narrated how he saw flashes of Virat Kohli in how Gill carried himself.
'Athers, you spoke about Virat Kohli. I met him a few days ago, and this talk about captaincy came up,' said Karthik in response to Michael Atherton. 'He said people think 'I'm a great Test cricketer, I enjoyed my Test batting, which I did, but the fact is that getting my captaincy was the best thing to happen in my life.' Why I am saying this is that the same line was used by Shubman Gill.'
'World of cricket has to take notice…'
Kohli is considered one of India's greatest Test captains, but what sets him apart is his ability to thrive despite that added pressure. If Gill's early captaincy stint at the age of 25 is any indication, he is set to go much the same way. Karthik argued that the international cricket fraternity must be ready for another Indian great in the making.
'He said 'I used to bat differently, but now that I've got captaincy, I almost think this is what my team requires, rather than me wanting to do something individually as a batter.' I said wow, this is something for which the world of cricket has to take notice,' said Karthik, who was not only a long-time teammate of Kohli's but also led Kolkata Knight Riders when Shubman Gill was breaking through in the IPL.
'Here is a man who has the appetite, he's got the skill, he's got the technique, but now he's got the mindset as well. I'm the captain, I'm going to lead from the front, lead off the front foot,' said Karthik of India's future at the helm of the Test team.
The job's not done despite an extremely impressive first Test win for Gill – dominating and winning by 336 runs at Edgbaston. Attention now turns to the Lord's Test, where the batter will want to continue adding to its famous history books.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Indian batting coach unfazed by green Lord's pitch, acknowledges Jofra Archer's threat
Indian batting coach unfazed by green Lord's pitch, acknowledges Jofra Archer's threat

India Today

time23 minutes ago

  • India Today

Indian batting coach unfazed by green Lord's pitch, acknowledges Jofra Archer's threat

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak isn't too worried about any kind of pitch England prepare for the third Test at Lord's. With the series level 1-1, England has hinted at preparing a lot more challenging surface for Indian batters after the run fest in the first two matches. However, India are unfazed by any type of wicket they're served for the third match of the series, revealed Sitanshu to the press ahead of the third Test set to begin on July 10 at Lord's, the Indian batting coach shared his thoughts after the first look at the pitch. Kotak revealed that the surface has a lot more grass on it than the first two Test matches, but it remains to be seen how much of it will be left by the curators for the match after the final cutting. He stated that the batters will have to spend a lot more time in the middle and get themselves accustomed to the conditions before playing extravagant shots."I think, as you said, the pitch does seem to have a bit more grass on it — as we've seen in the last two matches. But tomorrow, when they do the final cut — the one that happens a day before the match — only after that can we really say. And generally, the normal Lord's pitch in Tests tends to have comparatively low scores in the first and second innings. So we can expect that there might be a bit more help for the bowlers. It could be challenging for the batsmen. But I believe it's all about the mindset. Spending time on the wicket is the best friend you can have. The more time you spend out there, the more you'll adjust to the pitch. So that's probably the best approach,' said Kotak in the pre-match press conference. Furthermore, the Indian batting coach admitted the threat of Jofra Archer, who's likely to return for the third Test and said that England are within their right to prepare any kind of wicket they want.'It will be a challenge with Jofra coming in. There might be a couple of bowling changes in the England team which we don't know about. But wicket also will be a little more challenging, it seems, and after the last two games, if as a host England think that they want to give a little bit more challenging wicket, it's fair enough. And it will be a challenge for anyone on any wicket. So I'm not really thinking that it will be very challenging. You bat well, it's fine, if you don't bet well, any wicket can be challenging,' he recently made a comeback to the Test team after four years, having last played against India in 2021. He recently scalped 1/32 in 18 overs on his red-ball comeback for Sussex and also scored 31 (34). The 30-year-old has played two Test matches against India and picked four wickets at an average of questions being raised on England's inexperienced bowling attack, the management will be desperate to play Archer at Lord's. They have already added Gus Atkinson to the squad to reinforce their fast bowling. It remains to be seen if including some fresh legs in the playing XI will have any impact on England bowling, which has been taken apart by India so far in the series.- EndsMust Watch

After Virat Kohli, Indian pacer shines alongside partner at Wimbledon
After Virat Kohli, Indian pacer shines alongside partner at Wimbledon

Time of India

time30 minutes ago

  • Time of India

After Virat Kohli, Indian pacer shines alongside partner at Wimbledon

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli at Wimbledon (Image via NBT) Wimbledon 2025 has seen no shortage of sporting royalty in the stands this week, and the presence of Indian cricket stars has only added to the list of stars on display. Following the surprise appearance of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma earlier in the tournament, pacer Deepak Chahar and his wife Jaya Bhardwaj were the latest to turn heads at the All England Club. Chahar, 32, who represented Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 season, looked dapper in a black suit, while his partner donned an elegant white dress. The couple's stylish appearance quickly caught the attention of fans and media alike, with Wimbledon 's official Instagram account sharing a picture of the duo. The cricketer's visit to the tournament shortly followed that of India's vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who is currently with the Indian team ahead of the crucial third Test against Ben Stokes' England side. Pant's presence at SW19 drew a loud cheer from fans on social media as well. Deepak Chahar and his partner at Wimbledon (Image via Instagram) Virat Kohli, having retired from Test cricket earlier this year, made his first Wimbledon appearance in a decade — alongside wife Anushka Sharma — and was also pictured soaking in the atmosphere from the Royal Box. Other cricketing greats have graced the tournament too, with James Anderson and Joe Root both spotted. Root even shared a moment with Tennis legend Roger Federer, who attended the Novak Djokovic vs Alex de Minaur clash. Poll Which celebrity couple's appearance at Wimbledon 2025 caught your attention the most? Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma Deepak Chahar and Jaya Bhardwaj From Stuart Broad to Maria Sharapova, David Beckham and John Cena, Wimbledon 2025 has not just been about tennis, but rather, a magnet for global sporting icons. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.

'Take Full Responsibility...': Coach Craig Fulton On India's Record Losing Run
'Take Full Responsibility...': Coach Craig Fulton On India's Record Losing Run

News18

time30 minutes ago

  • News18

'Take Full Responsibility...': Coach Craig Fulton On India's Record Losing Run

'I'll take full responsibility for maybe not having prepped the group the way it needed to be prepped but that's where we are. That's what happened and we can't brush that under the carpet," Fulton was quoted as saying by PTI during a virtual media roundtable. 'We have to man up and be accountable. I want to fix it. And they know they can fix it." India needed to top the Pro League table to earn a direct World Cup berth but instead suffered a record seven-match losing streak—the longest ever for the Indian men's team in any competition. 'It was quite a frustrating time for us because we expected to win some of those games and we didn't," he said. 'We had a break, reflected, we looked at areas that we want to improve, and a lot of it comes down to small moments, restarts, a little bit of defending, a little bit of outletting under high pressure, and then penalty corner defence, penalty corner attack. It's always where it makes the biggest difference. 'We have to focus on PCD, PCA, final third and conceding some soft goals along the baseline and things like that. That's fixable and that's true," he said. Priority Asia Cup, Want To Stay No 1 India's immediate priority is to perform well in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Rajgir from August 27 to September 7, and to remain No 1 in Asia. The winners will secure direct qualification for the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14-30. 'That's our priority for the year — 100%. We start (the) camp next Monday (July 14) and then we go all the way through till the tournament August-September," he said. 'We want to stay No 1 in Asia so we've got a lot of good teams wanting to win this tournament to get direct qualification. We have to respect all our opposition but we know we've got a job to do on improving from the Pro League and getting back to our winning ways. It's an exciting period for us." Advertisement Fulton further acknowledged that an injury to captain Harmanpreet Singh during the European leg only worsened the situation, depriving the team of its top drag-flicker and defensive leader for four matches. '"He got smashed with a ball on the finger that split his whole finger open. He couldn't play for four and a half games." 'When you take out your captain in that space and we've never had to do that for long periods of time not by choice. Someone else has to step in and fill that gap and it was a good period for us." On Finding Harmanpreet's Replacement? Fulton said managing Harmanpreet's workload will be important going forward, especially with a packed calendar leading into the World Cup and Asian Games. advetisement 'It's still a long way away but we've got to focus now on the next two months and get ready for this Asia Cup with Harman." Finding backup drag-flickers remains a priority too. ''I think there's a short and long-term view on this. Because obviously, Harman's not going to play for the national team forever. 'So what does that look like in a few years' time? But while he's here, how do we find someone who can support him? Obviously, Amit (Rohidas) has a different skill set. He can flick and he can hit. Jugraj has a good flick. 'Yes, it's difficult to replace Harmanpreet. It's not something that you think about because while you have him, he's a powerful force. 'I'm here with the India A group. They'll have eight games and we'll also be monitoring them and see how they go with how they approach the PCA." 'We've got to find guys that can complement him while we build into qualifying." What About India A Tour? The India A men's hockey team will begin its European tour against Ireland in Eindhoven later on Tuesday, testing the depth and readiness of the next line of players. With barely three weeks separating the World Cup and the Asian Games next year, Fulton said building depth through the India A programme is crucial.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store