"You can't say that he didn't want somebody" - Sunil Gavaskar's brutal take on captaincy and Team India's selection for ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on captaincy and Team India's selection for the fourth Test against England. Gavaskar believes that the captain is responsible, making a brutal take on the selection conundrum involving Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav.

India went with Shardul for the fourth Test, once again not picking Kuldeep. The team has been criticised for its defensive approach by picking an all-rounder to deepen the batting and leaving out a strike bowler.

Gavaskar reckons that whoever Shubman Gill wanted or did not want in the team should be his call.

"At the end of the day, it is the captain's team. You can't say that he didn't want somebody like, in Shardul Thakur's case or Kuldeep Yadav's case, that he didn't want them, maybe Shubman didn't want Shardul in the team and wanted Kuldeep. He should have had them. He is the captain. It's got to be his call really. I know that these things might not come out. Fact is that the captain is responsible. He is the one who is going to be leading. Simple as that," he said on Sony Sports Network. (3:09)

In the same conversation, former England captain Nasser Hussain expressed that it should always be the captain's team. Nasser cited examples of former Indian captains like Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni, and how they had an aura as leaders.

"It should never be the coach's team. I am still very much old school. It shouldn't happen. However young you are, the reason you're given the job is because someone sees something in you that you are a leader. I'm not talking about Shubman Gill, this is a general point. If you are a leader, you lead. That is your job. You think of Ganguly and the way he transformed Indian cricket. Dhoni, or whatever, they have a presence and an aura," he reckoned. (1:33)

He added that the coach should only help drive the team forward, working behind the scenes.

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Indian captain Shubman Gill's job is not thinking of what the team will look like in future; it is the coach's job, believes Nasser Hussain

Further, Nasser Hussain stressed that the coach is responsible for the long-term planning of a team. The Indian Test team is in a transition period with some big names having retired.

Hussain reckons Shubman Gill would not be thinking of how the team will look in the coming years, but would have his focus on winning the next Test. He believes that the coach should have a long-term plan in this regard.

"A coach is in charge of long-term planning as well. When you are in the job, Shubman Gill is not down there thinking of what this team is going to look like in three-four years, he is just going to try and win the next Test match. He is focusing on this. Your coach should have a long-term plan," he said.

Gill has been under some scrutiny for his decisions on the field in this series. However, former captain Michael Vaughan feels that a young captain needs some time and should not be judged too soon. Vaughan also believes that the combination of the captain and the coach is the most important.

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Edited by Rishab Vm