England legend drops distasteful ‘The King is dead’ remark on Shubman Gill taking over from Virat Kohli
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Former English cricketer David Lloyd has praised the current Indian skipper, Shubman Gill, for effortlessly transitioning into the role of legendary Indian batsman Virat Kohli. Gill is rewriting the record books with his current form in England.
Shubman Gill has scored 269 runs in England, the highest by any Indian batter on English soil. Shubman produced a special knock alongside Ravindra Jadeja and several other players.
David Lloyd applauds Shubman Gill through his column
The former English cricketer has hailed Shubman Gill for his batting in England, citing his endurance and hunger to score runs, and has rated him similar to the great of the game, Virat Kohli.
"People say world-class players are irreplaceable, but are they? This is a real case of ‘The King is dead, long live the King.’ Gill has taken over seamlessly from one of the greatest modern batsmen in Virat Kohli and in style too," wrote David Lloyd in his column for the Daily Mail.
The former Englishman has also praised Rishabh Pant's presence in the Indian side, saying, "Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is always box office and has taken India to the next level after MS Dhoni."
Shubman Gill surpasses Virat Kohli as the Indian captain
Gill might have just been named as the skipper of the Indian Test side; however, he has dominated the format ever since responsibilities have piled up on his shoulders.
Shubman might not have started his Test captaincy with a win, as India faced a humiliating loss to the host side England by 5 wickets first Test at Leeds.
However, Shubman Gill, who did not have a single hundred in SENA countries until the beginning of the series, now has 3 hundreds in four innings. Of these three innings, one came at Headingley, and the other two followed at Edgbaston.
This also included a double-hundred on English soil, which is only the third time for an Indian batter. Shubman Gill has now surpassed Virat Kohli's record of most runs in a single Test as skipper of the Indian side.
Akash Deep stuns England on Day 4
Indian speedsters received immense criticism for their failure in the first Test, when Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna's trio, aided by Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja, could not manage to defend the total of 371 runs in the final day of play at Leeds.
England might have then managed a comfortable victory, but that is not the case here in Edgbaston, as the centurion from the second innings of Leeds, Ben Duckett, and his fellow opener, Zack Crawley, were dismissed by Indian bowlers within the score of 30.
Akash Deep, the replacement for a rested Jasprit Bumrah, made a significant impact in the game, striking at crucial junctures. He cleaned up Duckett with a ball that nipped back sharply, and then dismissed veteran Englishman Joe Root with a perfect delivery swirling around the off-stump.
England ended Day 4 for 72/3 and will begin Day 5 with Harry Brook and Ollie Pope on the crease.
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Shubman Gill David Lloyd Virat Kohli India National Cricket Team India vs England England National Cricket Team
