"He was almost lazy in his footwork" - Former cricketer's huge remark on Shubman Gill's captaincy after ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former England spinner Monty Panesar noted the improvement in Team India skipper Shubman Gill's batting technique ever since assuming the leadership responsibility of the team. The ace batter was thrust into the captaincy role following Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket in May 2025, ahead of the England tour.

Gill had to handle the transition period with Virat Kohli also announcing his Test retirement soon after. He took up the No.4 spot in the batting order, and led from the front, and etching an impressive 2-2 result in England, in his first-ever assignment in whites.

The newfound responsibility also brought out the best in Gill as a batter. He went on to slam 754 runs in the five-match affair, narrowly missing out on Sunil Gavaskar's iconic record. The young batter, named India's player of the series, recorded four centuries in the series, including an imperious 269 in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Monty Panesar opined that Gill was a touch lazy with his footwork in the past, but credited him for working on it, and improving in the process.

"Shubman Gill rose to the challenge. I always thought that he was almost lazy in his footwork when he wasn't the captain, and now, he's phenomenal. And I think we're going to hopefully see the best of them in the next couple of years," he said in an interview with the Hindustan Times.

Panesar added that Shubman Gill's next challenge would be to maintain home domination with spinners, even after Ravindra Jadeja fades away from the scheme of things.

"He'll (Gill) grow into the role. I think his career Test will probably come, how he does in India, really. And, more than turning pictures, you know, does he have the spinners to do that without Ashwin and Jadeja? Washington Sundar will be there, and it will be about whether he can live up to the expectations of Ashwin. I think Kuldeep Yadav has to play. He has to bring him into the equation somehow," he added.

Team India largely played with two spinners in the series against England, but largely for their batting abilities since they were all-rounders. Frontline spinner Kuldeep Yadav had to settle for a place on the bench as the team consistently prioritised batting depth in their playing XI.

"He can win Test matches without Jasprit Bumrah" - Monty Panesar highlights biggest takeaway fromm Shubman Gill's first series as captain

Team India skipper Shubman Gill did not have the luxury of unleasing Jasprit Bumrah at all times during the series. As part of workload management, it was determined before the tour itself that the pacer would play only a maximum of three Tests. The team management stuck to the plan, despite the series being on the line in the final Test at The Oval.

Bizarrely, India ended up winning the two Tests in which the spearhead did not play. The likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep stepped up to claim 20 wickets and play a vital role in the proceedings.

"The biggest factor, as for Shubman here, is that he can win Test matches without Jasprit Bumrah. That's a massive acclaim. The best bowler in the world. He doesn't need him. I think India can win Test matches without Jasprit Bumrah. I think that's the biggest achievement from his captaincy," Panesar stated.

The former player added that Siraj is the go-to man for India in Tests due to his skillset as well as his availability, compared to Bumrah.

"It just shows that Mohammed Siraj is the key now. They've got to build an attack around him. And his fitness is very important. Jasprit Bumrah doesn't have the fitness to play the five Test matches. So, he's again, in and out, kind of the guy to come in. But Mohammed Siraj can win the games now," he added.

Mohammed Siraj played all five Tests of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar series, bowling an astonishing 185.3 overs, and claiming 23 wickets at an average of 32.43. He played a starring role in the series finale at The Oval, and was adjudged the player of the match for his nine wickets, which included a five-wicket haul in the second innings.