Not Jasprit Bumrah! Shubman Gill picks Mohammed Siraj as captain’s dream, brags about himself

India National Cricket Team captain Shubman Gill had a remarkable debut as Test captain, leveling the five-match Test series 2-2 with a thrilling six-run win over England on Monday, August 4, at The Oval. Shubman Gill said that both India and England played brilliant cricket and brought their best game.

The young captain was elated that India finished the England tour on the winning side. Gill made it clear that having bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna made his job easier as a captain, saying the pace duo made the ball speak in the tough English conditions.

Shubman Gill thanks Mohammed Siraj-Prasidh Krishna combo for Test series-leveling victory

Gill has pointed out that Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna’s energy and commitment helped India stay in the fight, especially when things were tense. Even when England needed only 35 runs to win the final Test, Siraj and Krishna stayed confident and wanted to keep the pressure on England.

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The Indian captain believed in his bowlers, and they delivered as Siraj and Krishna took all four wickets to deny England a 3-1 Test series win at home. While Siraj finished the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as the leading wicket taker with 23 wickets, Krishna scalped 14 wickets in just three tests.

Shubman Gill said at the post-match presentation, as quoted by Cricbuzz, “Definitely both the teams played brilliantly throughout the series. Both the teams came up with their A-game, happy to get on the right side today. When you have bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh, captaincy seems easy. They were making the ball talk. Yes, there was a bit of pressure on us, but they were really bowling well. We were confident. We wanted them to feel the pressure.”

He is a captain’s dream: Shubman Gill hails Mohammed Siraj

Gill spoke highly of Siraj, calling him a dream for any captain. The Indian captain said that every time Siraj had the ball, he gave everything for the team, whether it was his first spell or his last. Gill showered rich praise on the fiery pacer for bowling with heart and fire.

The Indian captain added, “He is a captain’s dream; every ball, every spell he bowled, he came all out and gave it everything for the team. Both teams coming into Day 5 not knowing who would win shows how passionate both teams were and how hard everyone has played.”

The Punjab lad also revealed that he had set a goal to finish as the best batter of the series, and he achieved that. He said there were a few things he wanted to improve as a batter, and this series helped him do that. Notably, the right-handed batter finished the five-match Test series as the leading scorer with 754 runs at an impressive average of over 74.

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We never give up: Shubman Gill

Gill further noted, “It feels very rewarding. There were certain things I wanted to work on as a batter, and it was a goal to end as the best batter of this series. I’m glad to get that goal. It is always a combination of technique and mentality; when you are feeling good mentally, then the technique naturally flows.”

At the end, the young Indian captain said that he learned one thing from the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: that this team never gives up. Even the tourists kept fighting till the end, no matter how tough the situation was. Gill signed off by saying, “That we never give up.”