England tour: Don’t leave everything for Gill to handle, says Syed Kirmani

The choice of Shubman Gill as the new Test captain and a new-look team for the England series may have failed to inspire enough confidence among pundits so far, but legendary wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani has a simple solution for it. ‘’Never leave everything for Gill,’’ says Kiri bhai, sending home a message for collective leadership during what will be a demanding series.  

The die was cast once both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bid adieu to the longer format of the game earlier this month, and with Ravi Ashwin already retired and senior paceman Mohammed Shami unavailable owing to fitness woes, the 25-year-old Gill will be leading one of the least experienced Indian sides on such a punishing tour. However, Kirmani feels the team is quite a competent one and it’s "self-belief" which will make a difference in the five-Test series against Ben Stokes & Co.

Speaking to National Herald during an exclusive chat, Kirmani brushed aside suggestions about the new captain not having an impressive record with the bat in SENA countries. As the fifth youngest Test captain for India, Gill’s track record in captaincy is limited to leading a second-string India T20I team to Zimbabwe and IPL franchise Gujarat Titans, with whom he had been looking a lot more relaxed in the ongoing season.

He has also been vice-captain of the ODI side since the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai, and developed skills to manage bowlers during a game. ‘’Past records of Gill or anyone for that matter counts for little... what is essential is how quickly the batters can adjust themselves to English conditions as they will be going to England right after the IPL. Meanwhile, everyone has a role in the playing XI and should be giving their inputs to the skipper,’’ said the 75-year-old member of Kapil Dev’s 1983 World Cup winning squad.

Commenting on the loss of two batting stalwarts, Kirmani said: ‘’There is no denying the fact that both Virat and Rohit were role models for the youngsters and it’s impossible to replace them overnight. However, we have a competent team and our batters have had the experience of playing the England bowlers before. Allrounders like (Ravindra) Jadeja, Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy should focus on their batting a bit more to lend more balance to the squad.

‘’See, it’s a game of glorious uncertainties where anything may happen. Talking about bowling, the absence of Mohammed Shami is also not going to make a huge difference as someone else will take his place. All I can advise the team is to have faith in their abilities,’’ said Kirmani, regarded as the finest keeper India has ever produced, who scored two gritty Test centuries in 88 appearances before he made way for the likes of Sadanand Vishwanath and Kiran More in the mid-80s.

Any conversation with Kirmani cannot be complete without a reference to the wicketkeepers in the side, and he feels that all bases are covered with Rishabh Pant the first choice, and Dhruv Jurel and K.L. Rahul also available. ‘’None of the wicketkeepers follow the classical technique of a balanced crouch on your toes and following the seam and swing movement of deliveries and throwing yourself either way. However, we are spoilt for choice in case we need to change the team composition,’’ the Bangalorean said.

Meanwhile, in a recent development, the BCCI has decided to bring back T. Dilip, erstwhile fielding coach and an extremely popular figure with the players, for a one-year contract extension. His previous contract ended in March this year but after exploring overseas options for nearly two months, the Indian board has decided to rehire him on a shorter contract.