Gill's Captaincy Under Scrutiny After Headingley Defeat: Lacks Kohli's Aura, Say Experts

England secured a resounding five-wicket victory over India in the first Test at Headingley, successfully chasing down a target of 371. Ben Duckett's spectacular 149 was instrumental in the win. However, the match also marked a challenging start for Shubman Gill as India's Test captain. His leadership faced immediate scrutiny from prominent voices like Nasser Hussain and Ravi Shastri, who raised concerns about his on-field command and tactical acumen.

Shubman Gill faces criticism following India's loss at Headingley.

Hussain, the former England captain, drew comparisons between Gill and his predecessors, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"I thought I saw someone just finding his way, honestly," Hussain commented on Sky Sports. "You've got to be very careful in the first Test match, the people he's taken over from, Kohli, and then Rohit Sharma. I thought he didn't quite have that on-field aura as the names I mentioned there. You look down on those two previous names, and you immediately see who was in charge of India."

Hussain further noted that Gill seemed to be sharing leadership responsibilities with several senior players, which is not uncommon for new captains. He observed a "captaincy by committee" dynamic, suggesting that experienced players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were actively assisting Gill.

"I looked down from the press box, the commentary position, there were a lot of captains; it was a bit captaincy by committee, which can happen in your early days as a leader because you're still senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul want to try and help you out as much as possible. I thought he followed the ball a lot. I thought he was reactive as opposed to proactive," he said.

Hussain also questioned India's bowling strategies, specifically the utilization of Ravindra Jadeja. He implied that Gill could have been more proactive in guiding his experienced spinner.

"A word with Jadeja, maybe as a young captain, to go to such an experienced spinner, and go, you do know the rough is out there. Ravi Shastri and Mark Butcher are up there, going, show us where that ball is pitching, and it was pitching nowhere near the rough," Hussain elaborated.

He concluded by highlighting the lack of on-field communication regarding crucial bowling strategies.

"Ravi was saying, a bit slow, a bit wide, bowl in the rough. I was surprised that not one of the senior players or captains went to Jadeja and said, Can we go a little bit wider. But Ravi's right, they lost the game for two things that he couldn't control," he added.

With the second Test looming, questions are being asked about Gill's tactical acumen and his capacity to evolve into the leadership role as the series unfolds.