"One good thing was seen, although I might not agree with it" - Ajay Jadeja on Shubman Gill's captaincy in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former India player Ajay Jadeja has opined that Shubman Gill's captaincy was defensive in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, he praised the Indian captain for being consistent in his thought process.

India beat England by six runs in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Monday, August 4. The two teams shared the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, with the series ending in a 2-2 draw.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Ajay Jadeja was asked about his thoughts on Shubman Gill's captaincy.

"If we see his captaincy throughout the series, he has been consistent. He has been defensive. The kind of team you picked in the first match was the first signal. After that, he has been corrective. When he felt there was a shortcoming, he changed it the next time," he responded.

"His approach is not aggressive. He has a defensive approach. However, one good thing was seen, although I might not agree with it, but the solidity was seen, and that is also evident on the scoreline," the former India captain added.

Ajay Jadeja pointed out that the series ended in a draw despite India being the better team. He added that the playing XI in all games was chosen with the primary objective of drawing the match, with winning being a secondary thought.

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"This is a massive strength for anyone" - Ajay Jadeja on Shubman Gill sticking to his strategy on Day 5 of ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Shubman Gill placed virtually all the fielders on the boundary line when Gus Atkinson was batting with Chris Woakes. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Ajay Jadeja lauded Shubman Gill for sticking to his strategy of not conceding a boundary by refraining from bringing the fielders in even on the final ball of an over after the injured Chris Woakes had joined Gus Atkinson in the middle.

"He has shown his consistency. He has shown his calmness. Today, there was a moment when he had to make a lot of decisions. When a single was required off the last ball, he didn't change his strategy. He still had fielders on the boundary. A single was also taken twice. This is a massive strength for anyone," he said.

The former India all-rounder added that he would give Gill full marks for sticking to his tactics.

"I might want him to be aggressive, you might want him to be defensive, a third person might want something else, but if the one who has to make the decision sticks to his thought process, that is also a very important aspect. I would give 100 percent for that aspect," Jadeja observed.

Gus Atkinson stole a bye off the last ball of a Mohammed Siraj over and then took a single off the final delivery of the next over, bowled by Prasidh Krishna, to retain the strike. However, Siraj castled Atkinson off the first ball of the subsequent over to seal India's narrowest ever Test win in terms of runs.