Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has applauded India captain Shubman Gill for leading from the front with the bat in the second Test against England at Edgbaston as well. He also credited Gill for his batting skills, especially defence, after his exploits as he scored a record-breaking knock of 269 and 161, respectively, in his two innings on English soil.
On Monday, July 7, Clarke told the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast’s YouTube Channel: “He’s looked in a very comfortable position – front foot, back foot, defense, attack, dominates spin always. I’ve been super impressed with the way he’s batted in English conditions. I think that as a captain, that’s probably the most important thing you can do is – if you’re a bowler, take wickets, if you’re a batsman, score runs. That’s the best way to earn respect.”
“The skipper, Oh my god! Shubman Gill. I think a lot of people expected him to perform with the bat. He’s a very good batsman, full of talent, got all the shots. There’s no doubt about him. I think we’ve seen that for a while in T20 cricket, but the way he’s played, mentally, physically, gets through batting long periods… I’ve been really impressed with his defense. I think it’s one area; it looks like he’s worked extremely hard on it. The other thing you can see is he’s watching the ball so closely,” he added.
“Tactically, he was improving in the second Test match. You’ve got 600 runs on the board, so that obviously helps, but I think in the second innings at Edgbaston, the way he brought spin into the attack, even Jadeja, early on in the Test match. Washington Sundar gets that big wicket of Ben Stokes just before lunch. I think he used his spinners well. I think he attacked in the right areas. He gave the bowlers protection where they needed it to allow them to bowl those wicket-taking balls… I think he read his bowlers really well. Tactically, that’s most important,” he shared again.
Michael Clarke further applauded Akash Deep for his heroics with the ball for India after he claimed 10 wickets in the second Test, including a six-fer in the second innings as well.
“Akash Deep comes into the team. Wow! What a performance by him. Yes, the pace was there, but again, the consistent line and length, ball after ball. In the second innings, he made the ball look like it was a completely different wicket. Got the ball to seam while the other quicks were holding their length and their line and not much movement. Siraj was brilliant as well. We talk about that expectation without Bumrah. Someone having to stand up, and he gets six in the first innings, Akash Deep got four. Again, in the second innings, Akash Deep six. So, I think from a bowler’s perspective, India can take a lot of confidence. Those two guys in form now,” Michael Clarke concluded.
