ENG vs IND 2025: ‘He did cross the line’ – Dinesh Karthik shares first impression of Shubman Gill’s captaincy

Shubman Gill was appointed captain of the Indian Test team after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format just prior to the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Punjab batter managed to lead his team from the front against a much more seasoned England side in the United Kingdom. India finished the series 2-2 after securing a thrilling six-run win in the fifth and final Test match at The Oval earlier this week.

Shubman has been earning rich praise from the cricket fraternity for how he led a relatively inexperienced side in testing conditions. Despite injuries to important players, India showed a lot of grit and determination to level the series.

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik lauded Shubman for the way he led the side. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator did mention that Shubman sometimes crossed the line by being too aggressive but backed him to learn with time.

“He’s been aggressive at times; sometimes he did cross the line. I think he’ll change that about himself to an extent. I hope he doesn’t change it too much. But most importantly, the way he handled the English media [he did it very well].

He came prepared: Dinesh Karthik

Shubman’s Test average was in the mid-30s when he arrived in the United Kingdom to play the five-match Test series. Some naysayers questioned his place in the side. However, Karthik commended him for working on his technique and ending up as the highest run-scorer in the series, amassing 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40.

Walking into this series, people were asking – Shubman Gill, away from India, his record can be better. And he said, ‘I want to be the best batter across both teams’. It’s one thing to have confidence, but you’ve got to back that up with skill. He came prepared. There was a vulnerability in his batting [against] the ball coming back in. He found a way to work on his technique and counter it,” said Karthik.

Karthik was particularly impressed by Shubman’s stunning display in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, where he became the first player in the history of the longest format to score a double-century and a 150 in the same encounter.

“What was the defining part of what he achieved was the hunger and determination. That 269 and the hundred he got at Edgbaston, the amount of time he batted was astounding,” he added.

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