The Indian Test team under Shubman Gill started their WTC 2025-27 campaign with a loss against England. The hosts chased 371 to win in the second innings to take a lead in the five-match series.
Though the Indian batting lineup fared quite well, the tailenders and the bowlers went for too many runs and were not able to defend the target. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, the rest of the bowling attack looked quite ordinary.
After India's loss, there were questions thrown at Shubman Gill's captaincy. Former England captain Nasser Hussain were among the ones to question his tactics. However, several former Indian cricketers including former India head coach Ravi Shastri, backed the youngster.
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Give Shubman Gill Time And Support: Mohammed Azharuddin
Now Gill has received backing from former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin as well. He said that the criticism surrounding Gill's captaincy should be stopped and he should be given enough time before people start judging him.
“This is his just first match as a captain, you just can’t talk about captaincy. It’s too early to talk about captaincy. “We should give him a fair chance and he has just taken over. So, you should give him a lot of time and support. We cannot just complain and criticise players like that" said Azharuddin to PTI.
The former Indian skipper further said that India will need to be smart in the second Test and the bowling combination has to be perfect. In the process, he hinted at the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test.
“We lost because of batting collapse, but anyways now they have to pick the right players and bowling has to be perfect,” said Azharuddin.
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Azhar Backs Kuldeep In 2nd Test, Says India Too Reliant On Bumrah
The former Indian skipper further added saying that the Indian bowling attack is too reliant on Jasprit Bumrah. There are reports that he is likely to be rested for the second Test starting from July 2.
“They are too much dependent on Bumrah. It’s not easy because you need more experienced bowlers, and they should play Kuldeep Yadav,” said Azharuddin.
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