Test captaincy a challenge but Shubman Gill has composure: Glenn McGrath
Chennai
: Newly-appointed India Test captain
Shubman Gill
is set for a trial by fire in the five-match assignment in England, where he will venture into uncharted territory.
The absence of experienced campaigners — following the recent retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — will only make Gill's task tougher.
While doubts have been raised regarding Gill's elevation to red-ball captaincy, given his not-sofantastic returns away from home, legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath backed the 25-year-old to come good in his new role.
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'I'm keen to see how India go under Gill. I just like the way he goes about it. He is pretty composed. I like his body language. I know that he has done better on home soil than abroad. That is the next challenge.
He will want to go over there and set the standard in England. Batting in England is a lot different to batting in India,' McGrath, the director of coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation, said here on Monday.
Shubman Gill story: From a remote village near the border to India's Test captain
'It will be a challenge for him, but I think that Gill has got good composure. He will be a good Test captain. India do not have the experience that they had with Rohit and Virat. So they have got to go over there and enjoy,' McGrath added.
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Gill will undoubtedly rely on Jasprit Bumrah's wizardry on seamfriendly surfaces, but will have to prepare a good-enough plan 'B' as the pace spearhead is likely to be rested for a game or two. Asked if India are over reliant on Bumrah to create a telling impact, McGrath replied that the pacer relishes rising to the big occasions.
'In Australia, they over-relied on Bumrah. He had to bowl more than he wanted. In the end, that is where the injury (back issue) probably came from.
He enjoys that extra responsibility. When he captained India in Perth, he stepped up and enjoyed the challenge. He will enjoy bowling with the Duke ball in English conditions,' McGrath said.
Shubman Gill returns to the city where it all started for him as a youngster
'Bumrah looks like he is back to full fitness, so he is going to play a major part. He is a class bowler. He has not played the long version of the game (for months now), so India have to use the other bowlers well. The key to Bumrah's longevity is how the bowlers around him bowl. If they bowl longer spells, Bumrah can get more rest.'
Among the other members of the pace-bowling pack, Prasidh Krishna has caught McGrath's eye. 'If he can hit the right lengths, he is going to be dangerous with the bounce which he can get,' McGrath said.
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