India National Cricket Team spin-bowling great Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his bold views on the captaincy of Shubman Gill in the recently concluded two-match Test series against the West Indies National Cricket Team.
Ravichandran Ashwin said that there are some key areas where Shubman Gill needs to make improvements to get better as a captain and reckoned that his lack of experience was on full display in the Test series against the Roston Chase-led side.
Shubman Gill could do better, more creativity in field placement – Ravichandran Ashwin
Shubman Gill won his first Test series as captain by beating West Indies 2-0 at home. India won the first Test match by an innings and 140 runs as they bundled out West Indies for 162 & 146 in two innings and scored 448/5d in their only innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
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Then, in the second Test match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, India registered a 7-wicket win as they piled up 518/5 in the first innings before bowling West Indies out for 248 and 390 and chasing 121 runs in the final innings.
Speaking after the end of the series, Ravichandran Ashwin stated that Shubman Gill can get more creative with his field placements.
“Today’s bats send mishits very far, like off Jayden Seales; so you can’t always attack more. Maybe in bowler rotation, Shubman Gill could do better, more creativity in field placement, like when Justin Greaves reverse-swept with point open; that’s not always the best move on a red-soil pitch with bounce. You have to watch closely and prepare extra,” he said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.
In my view, Shubman Gill has less experience in the field and it shows – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin further said that Shubman Gill is a confident cricketer and he backs his players to the fullest, but tactically, he is not a genius. He added that the Indian skipper needs to be more patient and needs guidance from his seniors in the setup.
“In my view, Shubman Gill has less experience in field and it shows; he’s confident and backs players, but in tactics like rotation and placement, more work can be done and it was visible. It felt like he needed the help. In such conditions you will have to give bowlers ten-over spells. There was some impatience. He needs some guidance,” he added.
When Virat Kohli was captain, he’d urge fast bowlers to bowl bouncers – Ravichandran Ashwin
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj played both the Test matches against the West Indies and did a great job. However, they were crictised by the commentators on several occasions for not using bouncers against the West Indies batters. Ravichandran Ashwin explained the reason behind the pacers’ move, saying:
“In this series, Indian fast bowlers played a role. They do have a role. Indian fast bowlers have generally refrained from bowling bouncers because they have a better idea of bowling in the sub-continent. We do a little bit more with the ball. We bring reverse swing and LBW into play,” he said.
“When Virat Kohli was captain, he’d urge fast bowlers to bowl bouncers if wickets weren’t coming in 2–3 overs. He loved having square leg on the boundary so bowlers could bowl bouncers with protection. Fast bowlers instinctively know to bowl bouncers when square leg is back. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, all used bouncers well, but mainly when the ball reverses, not so much otherwise.”
