"He made a very good start" - Former India coach highly impressed with Shubman Gill's captaincy debut in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Australian batting legend Greg Chappell was impressed with Shubman Gill's performance as both batter and leader in his first Test after being appointed captain. According to Chappell, even though India lost the Test to England, Gill made a very good start to his stint as Test leader.

England beat India by five wickets at Headingley in Leeds in the opening Test of the five-match series. In a match where both sides had their periods of dominance, the hosts eventually finished on top as they chased down 371 on Day 5. Opener Ben Duckett (149) was the star of the show the Englishmen.

Sharing his observations on Gill's performance in the Leeds Test, Chappell opined that there was a lot to like about his batting and captaincy. The former India head coach said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):

"It was a terrific Test match. Sadly, India didn't finish up on the correct side, but there were a lot of good things that they did. Shubman Gill had a great start to his career as a Test match captain. As a player, maybe the result didn't go the right way, but conditions were probably better for him on the last day than they were at any other stage in the Test match.

While India ended up on the losing side in the tight contest, Chappell opined that Gill would have learned a lot from the tough game and is only likely to get better as a captain. The 76-year-old added:

"So he will have learned a lot from that. The Indian think tank will have learned a lot from what happened in the Test match. He will only get better and better as a captain. Had the team taken a few more catches and, maybe, if the tail had wagged a bit stronger in both innings, the result could have been very different. But I think there are four Test matches to go. Let's wait and see, but I think he made a very good start as captain."

Gill top-scored for India in the first innings in Leeds, scoring 147 off 227 balls, hitting 19 fours and a six. He was dismissed for eight in the second innings.

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Shubman Gill rued missed opportunities in Leeds Test

Speaking after India's five-wicket loss in the Leeds Test against England, skipper Gill admitted that the visitors had their chances in the match, but failed to drive home the advantage. At the post-match presentation, he commented:

"We were thinking that we're going to give [England a target of] around 430, 435 and then declare. But, unfortunately, I think our last six wickets scored around 20-25 [31] runs, which is never a good sign. But even today [Tuesday], I thought after their brilliant opening partnership, we did have our chances and just didn't go our way in this match."

The second Test of the five-match series between India and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham will be played from July 2 to July 6.