"Captain Gill showed the right respect to the national flag" - Saba Karim lauds Shubman Gill's century in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former India player Saba Karim has lauded Shubman Gill for scoring a century in his first innings as the country's Test skipper. He noted that the youngster couldn't have started his captaincy tenure any better.

Gill scored an unbeaten 127 off 175 deliveries on Day 1 of the first Test against England in Leeds on Friday, June 20. India ended the day at 359/3, with Rishabh Pant (65* off 102) being the other unbeaten batter.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Saba praised Gill for scoring a century with a perfect blend of patience and aggression on his first day as India's Test skipper.

"It was the right confluence of patience and aggression. The tricolor you are seeing behind, captain Gill showed the right respect to the national flag today. What better knock can you play on your first day as captain, that too at a place where Shubman hasn't scored runs?" he said.

The former India wicketkeeper-batter pointed out that the 25-year-old, who is yet to play a Test in New Zealand, didn't have a great record in South Africa, England and Australia.

"He hadn't scored too many runs in SENA countries. He showed on the first day itself that captaincy suits him. Until a batter captain scores runs, he can't earn respect from his dressing room. His average is still not that good in Test cricket. It's good in Indian conditions for sure, but it's not anything special in SENA countries," Saba observed.

Saba added that Gill repaid the selectors for the faith they showed in him by giving him the captaincy reins.

"That's why this first step he has taken is splendid. This will increase his confidence, and his teammates will feel that the chosen leader will show them the right path. The selectors have shown a huge leap of faith in Shubman Gill, and they have shown it with the confidence that similar batting will be seen in the upcoming knocks as well," he elaborated.

Before Friday, Shubman Gill hadn't scored a Test century outside Asia. He was even left out of India's playing XI for the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, but was appointed captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the game's longest format.

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"I never felt he was under pressure" - Hemang Badani lauds Shubman Gill's hundred in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Shubman Gill has struck 16 fours and a six during his unbeaten 127-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India batter Hemang Badani praised Shubman Gill for playing a chanceless knock and not succumbing to pressure.

"He played an absolutely chanceless knock. His footwork was absolutely precise. I never felt he was under pressure, but he would have definitely been under pressure because many people have said that he hasn't scored runs in SENA countries," he said.

The Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach added that Gill delivered in his first innings at the retired Virat Kohli's preferred batting position.

"This keeps playing on your mind as a batter. No matter how great a batter you are, what people are discussing is always at the back of your mind. However, he batted extremely well keeping all those things aside, that too first time at No. 4. There was a king, and now there is a prince," Badani observed.

Shubman Gill added 129 runs for the third wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159). The Indian captain and his deputy, Rishabh Pant, then stitched together an unbroken 138-run fourth-wicket partnership to take the visitors to a seemingly strong position.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer