"Doing the same with his young team" - Former India cricketer compares Shubman Gill's captaincy to Sourav Ganguly amid ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has lauded reigning skipper Shubman Gill for his aggressive captaincy on Day 4 of the third Test against England at Lord’s on Sunday, July 13. The cricketer-turned-commentator compared his leadership skills to erstwhile skipper Sourav Ganguly, while reminiscing about India’s memorable win against the hosts at Lord’s in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final. Notably, Kaif scored a match-winning unbeaten 87 off 75 balls as the Ganguly-led side emerged victorious by two wickets.

Kaif’s remarks came a day after Gill gave it back to England's openers for their last over drama before stumps on Day 3. The tourists then began the day on a high note as the hosts lost half their side for 154.

The 44-year-old wrote on X:

“This July 13 is special. Dada led us to Natwest title with aggression and ambition. Now 23 years later, Shubman Gill's doing the same with his young team. And we didn't chase down 325 by playing Bazball.”

Shubman Gill has been equally impressive with the bat, scoring 147 (Headingley), 269, and 161 (Edgbaston). His exploits in the second Test helped India fight back in the series with a thumping 336-run win at Edgbaston. The right-hander recently eclipsed Virat Kohli for the most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series in England.

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Shubman Gill and Co. are on top of England on Day 4 of the 3rd Test

A clinical bowling display has placed India in a commanding position against England at Lord’s on Day 4. Mohammed Siraj provided two early breakthroughs by dismissing Ben Duckett (12) and Ollie Pope (4). Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, and Washington Sundar then removed Zak Crawley (22), Harry Brook (23), and Joe Root (40), respectively.

At the time of writing, England were 158/5, with skipper Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith at the crease. Notably, the Ben Stokes-led side failed to take any first innings lead as the two teams got bundled out for identical scores of 387.

The five-match Test series is currently level at 1-1.

Follow the ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test live score and updates here.