Is captain Shubman Gill to blame for India's bowling flop show? Experts divided
Jasprit Bumrah looked lacklustre for the first time in the series, and Mohammed Siraj appeared fatigued, playing his fourth consecutive Test. Debutant Anshul, bowling military medium, struggled to trouble the England batters consistently, although he did claim the key wicket of Ben Duckett late on Day 2.England raced to 225 for 2 at stumps on Thursday, scoring at over five runs per over. The dominant batting show continued on Friday morning as Joe Root and Ollie Pope made the most of a bright morning and a flat pitch. Bumrah and Siraj opened the day with hostile spells, bowling tight lines—unlike Thursday afternoon, where they had squandered the new ball.However, Root and Pope weathered the storm and kept the scoreboard ticking by attacking Anshul and Ravindra Jadeja. Captain Gill showed little faith in Shardul Thakur despite having picked him as a bowling all-rounder.What was even more baffling was India's reluctance to use Washington Sundar, who had taken a four-wicket haul in the second innings of the previous Test at Lord's. Sundar was not brought into the attack until the 69th over of England's innings.Sundar made an immediate impact, breaking a 144-run stand for the third wicket by removing a well-set Ollie Pope. He then claimed the big wicket of Harry Brook, having the World No. 1 batter stumped.advertisementSundar's ability to strike twice in quick succession, along with the drift he was getting on Day 3, raised further questions about why captain Gill did not trust his Gujarat Titans teammate earlier.#Sundar's got the golden touch today!Two quick wickets and #HarryBrook is walking back.#ENGvIND 4th TEST, DAY 3 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar https://t.co/l55AM1kN1p pic.twitter.com/rzqEloNjC9— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 25, 2025RED FLAG IN GILL'S CAPTAINCYFormer India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said Gill's hesitation to use his spinners was a red flag, though he stressed the entire blame shouldn't fall solely on the captain. He also criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for not being hands-on enough when the team was under pressure."Somewhere down the line, Shubman Gill feels that his spinner can't get him a wicket. Washington—maybe he doesn't rate him that much. But that is a major red flag for me," Manjrekar told JioStar during the lunch break on Day 3."You have got to be patient with Shubman Gill. I am already an admirer of him. He's been thrown into the deep end. I really think Bumrah should've taken the reins whenever he was fit.advertisement"Gill has been thrown to the wolves on an away tour, against a formidable opposition, and he's held his own so far."This is where Gautam Gambhir, the senior coach, has to come into the picture. It's almost like you need an U19 coach who gets more involved in on-field tactics. Gambhir has got to remind himself that Gill is still in a nascent stage as captain. He is not someone who has led India in 25–30 Tests. He's got to step in. I can understand Brendon McCullum not interfering with Ben Stokes around—but Gambhir must.""I don't see any plausible reason for not using Sundar for 68 overs. I see this as a major red flag in Shubman Gill's trait as captain."TRUST YOUR SPINNERS MOREFormer India head coach Ravi Shastri also urged Gill to trust his second spinner more."I said on my first commentary stint that Gill has to trust his spinners more. Washington gave him four wickets in the last game. He opened things up for India in the last Test at Lord's."He's confident, so give him a go. Spinners like longer spells. On a day like this, you'd expect your spinner to accept responsibility, feel accountable and go out there and do a job."advertisementBROAD DEFENDS GILLHowever, former England pacer Stuart Broad defended Shubman Gill, saying it's not easy for a young captain to contain a rampaging England side on a high-scoring ground like Manchester. Broad cited Pat Cummins in the 2023 Ashes Test at Old Trafford, where the senior Aussie captain appeared clueless when England piled on 589 at over five runs per over."One thing I would say to back Shubman Gill: I watched Pat Cummins here against England in 2023—a very successful Australian captain—have every fielder on the boundary, and he was just chasing leather all day. Didn't know what to bowl, didn't know where to go."This England team, this England batting unit, can make it very, very difficult for captains to find ways of being creative. Because they're so aggressive with what they're doing, the bowlers are missing both sides of the wicket."You can't control anything—particularly the lines the Indian bowlers have gone with, not just last night, but a bit today as well."- EndsTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
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The Latest: England beats Spain in a penalty shootout after 1-1 draw to retain title
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Two large Alpine-inspired shapes were then carried onto the field, with the England flag on one and Spain's on the other. Nearly 30,000 inflatable clappers had been distributed to the fans beforehand, while 40 members of the closing ceremony cast also had them on the field. The Asturia Quartet, an all-female string ensemble, performed the national anthems. In somewhat of a surprise change, Athenea Del Castillo has been named in Spain's starting lineup in place of Claudia Pina. Del Castillo's only other start in the tournament was in the final group-stage match, against Italy, when many regular starters were rested with Spain already through. The Real Madrid forward scored one and set up another. She also scored the opener in the quarterfinal win against Switzerland just four minutes after coming onto the field. Pina was decisive the last time Spain played England, scoring twice to help her team to a 2-1 comeback victory in the Nations League last month. 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Spain found it tougher to get past Switzerland in the quarterfinals but finally broke the resistance of the host nation with two quickfire goals midway through the second half. Spain also missed two penalties and hit the woodwork three times. Like England, its semifinal lasted 120 minutes. It took a moment of magic from two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí in the 113th minute to secure a 1-0 win over Germany. ___ AP soccer:
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
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Generations will talk about what Pant did for this team: Gautam Gambhir
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Time of India
2 hours ago
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She once borrowed shoes. Now she's donating spikes
BHOPAL: She's the youngest of six siblings. A class 8 dropout. A daughter of a dismissed policeman. A bowler with six English wickets and a nation watching. Cricketer Kranti Goud once bowled in hand-me-down shoes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Today, the 21-year-old Indian women's team star wants to equip budding girl cricketers with premium spiked shoes - free of cost. Her drive? To ensure no girl with talent is benched by poverty. Goud from Ghuwara, a tribal-majority village in MP's Chhatarpur district, has secured a sponsorship deal with an international shoe brand - her first personal milestone off the pitch. On it, she's already made headlines: a searing 6/52 against England, her first five-wicket haul in ODIs, helped India seal the recent series in the third match. Goud's rise from rural Bundelkhand to the national spotlight is a tale stitched with adversity. Her father Munna Singh, a former MP police constable, was dismissed in 2012 during election duty. The family had to vacate their official quarters and shift to a rented home. Eldest brother Mayank dropped out of school to work. "We were in a lot of trouble," he said. "There were days we didn't have proper meals. People mocked us for letting Kranti pursue cricket, but somehow we held on." Coach Rajiv Bilthare took her in at his Sai Cricket Academy in Chhatarpur in 2017. "She came in worn-out clothes and regular shoes," he said. "Her father was jobless. Her family had nothing. I didn't charge her any fees. I gave her shoes, uniform, and even bought her gear." One memory stands out. "I gave her Rs 1,600 to buy cricket spikes. She lit up. Said it felt like a dream," Bilthare said. That dream carried Goud to the national squad. She now wants to help others walk the path - one pair of spiked shoes at a time. "It's time for me to give back to society," she said. "I want to buy a house for my family. That's first. But I also want girls at our academy to play without worrying about money. My assistance will help them focus on the game." The right-arm medium-fast bowler made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka on May 11 and her T20 international debut against England on July 12. She represents MP in domestic cricket and plays for UP Warriorz in Women's Premier League (WPL).
