"It never happened like that in Virat Kohli's captaincy" - Aakash Chopra on the criticism of Shubman Gill's captaincy during ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that several questions were raised about Shubman Gill's captaincy in the recently concluded Test series against England. He highlighted that comparisons were also being drawn with previous captains, particularly Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Gill was appointed India's Test captain after Rohit retired from the format ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The relatively inexperienced captain fared decently, with the visitors drawing the five-match series 2-2 after a nail-biting six-run win in the final game at The Oval on Monday, August 4.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener pointed out that critics had contrasting opinions about Gill's captaincy while comparing him with Kohli.

"Many questions were raised, and there were a few comparisons as well. If Virat Kohli is king, his name (Gill's) has been kept prince, so the comparisons start quickly. I remember two or three very interesting comparisons. The first was the fight that happened at the Lord's ground. You lost the match after that," Chopra said (2:10). "A ruckus started at that stage as to why was he fighting, and that he should play in his own style. After that, you reached Old Trafford, and it was said that the body language didn't look good, and that it never happened like that in Virat Kohli's captaincy, where you just go through the motions," he added.

Aakash Chopra noted that Shubman Gill's captaincy was also compared to Rohit Sharma's. While acknowledging that both Kohli and Rohit were excellent captains, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that such comparisons are unfair, highlighting that the two stalwarts are no longer part of the Test team and that every era has different challenges.

---

"The captaincy is a work in progress, but he is 25 years old" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's leadership in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Shubman Gill (left) was tested as a captain on Day 5 of the final Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Shubman Gill is a work in progress as a captain, pointing out that Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had also committed similar mistakes.

"The captaincy is a work in progress, but he is 25 years old. He will learn. It was just his first series. He was seen following the ball at times, but we have seen that with all captains. We have seen that with Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and everyone, that they placed fielders wherever the ball went at some stage," he said (7:30).

While acknowledging that Gill could have been braver in his selections, including playing Kuldeep Yadav, the analyst highlighted that it was easier said than done.

"Could he have been braver in his team selections? I will say yes, he could have been braver, but it's easier said than done. I do feel very strongly that Kuldeep Yadav should have been played matches, but if you keep yourself in Shubman Gill's shoes, you would say the batting is not doing that good, the No. 3 hasn't gotten settled, Rishabh Pant has gotten injured, and I don't know what needs to be done at No. 6," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that previous captains hadn't fielded Kuldeep in the playing XI too often either. To conclude, the former India batter opined that 2-2 was a phenomenal series result, with the visitors winning two Tests in Jasprit Bumrah's absence.

Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news

Edited by Kartik Iyer