A recent report had stated that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will most likely be India’s vice-captain for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has approved of this decision and believes that Gill has plenty of other things to worry about.

“There was some talk about Shubman Gill being there in Australia as the vice-captain, and look what happened. Bumrah, thankfully, was made the captain, with Rohit Sharma missing the first Test. Look where Gill’s career is right now. First, you should make the team on merit,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

Manjrekar believes that the role of Test captain should be handed to Bumrah and he should be leading the Men in Blue during the 5-match Test series against England which is set to commence from June 20.

“It’s a no-brainer for me. The next Test series is going to be in England. So more of the same. Jasprit Bumrah has to be your next Test captain,” Manjrekar said.

Bumrah, who recently led India during the Perth and Sydney Tests in the Border-Gavaskar series, will now also act as the deputy to Rohit Sharma in one-day format.

The post ‘Make the team on merit’: Ex-India star gives BRUTAL remark on Shubman Gill’s captaincy ambitions appeared first on Cricket Country.

Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came under a lot of criticism following the conclusion of the Australia tour, however many fingers were also pointed towards the younger stars. One such star is batter Shubman Gill, who had a dismal Border-Gavaskar series and failed to impress at all.

In the 3 Tests that Gill played in Australia during the 5-match series, he could only muster 93 runs from 5 innings at an average of 18.60. These numbers don’t do justice to his potential.

Seeing these poor performances, former India star Subramaniam Badrinath went on to claim that Gill would have been dropped already if he hailed from South India.

“If Shubman Gill was named perhaps, let’s take my father’s name, as Subramaniam, then he would have been dropped. This is difficult for me to watch again (Gill’s wicket) because he really has not lived up to his expectations,” Badrinath said on Star Sports Tamil.

“There’s nothing wrong with losing your wicket, you can get runs or you can’t sometimes, but there should be some intent, there should be some attitude,” Badrinath said. “I want you to play to tire the bowlers, I want you to make the ball old. If nothing else, at least help out your teammate who’s coming in after you to bat but standing at the crease with him, even if you can’t score runs. Play 50 balls, 100 balls, just make sure the ball gets worn out and old. These are the contributions you make for a team,” Badrinath added.

“You can’t go in and say ‘This is my game, this I how I play, this is how I bat’ and just play aesthetically pleasing cricket but not produce (runs). That’s not cricket. It’s about knowing whatever you can do and trying to do that in the moment. I just did not see any of that in Shubman Gill through the series this time,” Badrinath further added.

Badrinath also slammed Gill for his fielding and questioned about his contribution towards the Indian team.

“He (Gill) was poor even on the field, as someone who can’t stand at slips or point, nor is he exceptional at silly point as well. So, what does he contribute to the team? This is the question that keeps running in my mind about Gill,” Badrinath said.

The post ‘Not lived up to expectations’: Ex-India star gives BRUTAL remark on Shubman Gill’s poor form appeared first on Cricket Country.

According to a report by The Times of India, Rohit Sharma is set to captain the Men in Blue while the vice-captaincy duty will reportedly be handed to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah if he recovers in time for the ICC event.

Though there were no surprises about the captaincy position as Rohit also lead India in the 3 ODI’s that they played in 2024, it was the vice-captaincy position which sparked many debates.

Hardik Pandya was usually the vice-captain in the one-day format during Rahul Dravid’s era while Shubman Gill was given the role in ODIs and T20Is following Gautam Gambhir’s arrival. However, it looks like both the players aren’t in their plans anymore as they are likely to hand over the vice-captaincy to Bumrah.

However, Bumrah’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy isn’t certain yet as the pacer sustained an injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Sydney. His participation in the 3-match England ODI series which is set to commence from February 6, isn’t confirmed either.

If Bumrah does end up missing out on the Champions Trophy, then not only will India be landed a huge blow, but the team management will also have to decide on a new vice-captain for the tournament, with no clear favourites in the list.

The post NOT Hardik Pandya or Shubman Gill, THIS star to be chosen as India’s vice-captain for Champions Trophy: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

Despite Gill being given a lot of chances by the selection committee over a long period of time, his output, especially overseas, remains below par. Following his poor batting displays throughout the Border-Gavaskar series, former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth labelled Gill as a ‘highly overrated cricketer’.

“I’ve always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer but nobody listened to me. He is a highly overrated cricketer,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

“When Gill is getting this much of a long rope, some people might wonder whether even players like Suryakumar Yadav could have been given a longer rope in Tests,” Srikkanth added.

Srikkanth believes that the batting trio of Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan are some of the players that the selection committee should consider giving a chance. The trio have performed well in domestic cricket while on the other hand, Gill has failed to perform at his best on the international circuit.

“Suryakumar didn’t have a very good start in Tests but he has the technique and he has the ability. But the selectors and the management have now boxed him into a white-ball specialist. So that means you have to look at fresh talent,” Srikkanth said.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad, for example, has been doing wonderfully in first-class cricket. But they’ve not bothered to pick him. Meanwhile, someone like Sai Sudharsan has been lighting it up in ‘A’ tours. You have to promote these kinds of talents. Instead, they are running around circles by picking Gill,” Srikkanth added.

The post ‘Shubman Gill is a highly overrated cricketer’: Ex-India star gives MASSIVE statement appeared first on Cricket Country.

India had won the toss and decided to bat first at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The team saw two changes in their playing XI, as they brought Shubman Gill in place of Rohit Sharma and Prasidh Krishna in place of an injured Akash Deep.

When it was time before the lunch, Nathan Lyon was given the responsibility to bowl. Gill decided to play aggressively since he had decided to play till lunch. He attempted to step down the wicket, but edged the delivery towards Steve Smith at the first slip. Smith celebrated and had an exchange of words with Gill.

Replays with audio from the stump mic show a small conversation between Smith and Gill that got recorded on just before the latter got dismissed. Gill was taking some time, which caused Smith to say, “Oi, let’s play.” Gill was quick to respond, but was then dismissed on the very next ball.

Marnus Labuschagne: Easy, got it in easy!
Steve Smith: This is bull****! Oi, let’s play!
Shubman Gill: You take your time Smithy, no one says anything to you!
Steve Smith: Just play mate, let’s play.
Marnus Labuschagne: Take your time son.

This is the greatest cricketing video of all time pic.twitter.com/CpTaQpkBh4

— mitch marsh hatebot. (@Lexbeforewicket) January 3, 2025

Smith later opened on the incident with Gill when speaking with Fox Cricket’s Isa Guha when it was lunch break, stating that the Indian batter’s attempt to take his time might have actually benefited Australia.

“Shubman was trying to take his time there (and) it probably played into our hands. He decided to run at the last one, and I think he was trying to launch him (Lyon),” Smith said.

Gill had notable missed the series opener in Perth due to a thumb injury, and was later dropped from India’s playing XI in the MCG Test, which then gave out a result of India losing the match by 184 runs.

The post WATCH: Shubman Gill loses his wicket right after agitating Steve Smith on Day 1 of Sydney Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli once again failed to deliver to the high expectations laid upon him and the Australian bowlers once again were able to dismiss him for cheap in the series.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India got off to a disastrous start as openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were dismissed within the first 8 overs of the day.

Following the duo’s dismissal, Shubman Gill and Kohli tried steadying India’s ship. However, the former also ended up losing his wicket for 20 runs. Following the wicket, Kohli tried forming a big partnership with Pant, however it came to no good as the former was soon sent back to the dugout.

Following the dismissal, Indian fans took to social media in order to troll Kohli for continuing his woeful form in the longest format.

The post Virat Kohli gets brutally TROLLED on social media following cheap dismissal in Sydney Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

After their dismissals, Kohli joined hands with Shubman Gill, where he survived a close call on the very first delivery that he faced. Australia pacer Scott Boland almost dismissed Kohli when the batter ended up edging the delivery towards the slips. Steve Smith, who was standing on second slip, grabbed the ball and tossed it upwards as Marnus Labuschagne took the catch. 

The Australians had already started celebrating, however the on-field umpire handed the decision over to the third umpire. It was then revealed that the ball had touched the ground before Smith was able to pass it to Labuschagne. Hence, Kohli got an important lifeline on the very first ball that he faced.

The drama did not end over here. After the completion of the over, both Kohli and Smith were seen exchanging some words.

During the lunch break, Smith opened up on the incident and stood firm on his stance, stating that he got his hands beneath the ball and hence it was a fair catch.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting also disagreed with the third umpire’s decision regarding the catch.

“As far as I was concerned, if (the ball) had’ve come out of (Smith’s) hand, he wouldn’t have been able to scoop it up. That’s what I’m saying, I think his fingers are clearly underneath the ball … look where his pointer figure is there, it’s still underneath the ball,” Ponting said

The post WATCH: Virat Kohli and Steve Smith involved in heated exchange after umpiring drama in SCG Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Rohit will likely be replaced by Shubman Gill in the Sydney Test. According to a report by PTI, India head coach Gautam Gambhir received a request from an ‘influential cricket administrator’ to keep Rohit in the playing XI, but it was rejected due to the fact that India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final (WTC) rest on the match.

“It is learnt that an influential cricket administrator, who commands a lot of respect in the BCCI, has had a word with the head coach to explore if the skipper can be allowed to play the Sydney game and bow out from the Test arena. However, the head coach’s priority is to ensure India wins in Sydney and remains in hunt for a place in the WTC final. Such is the state of affairs that Rohit was more comfortable speaking to his deputy Bumrah and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar than Gambhir,” the report claimed.

Ahead of the encounter against Australia in Sydney, Gambhir also refused to confirm whether Rohit will be at the toss alongside Australia skipper Pat Cummins on Friday morning.

“We will take a call on the playing XI after looking at the pitch,” Gambhir replied when asked about whether Rohit will participate in the final Border-Gavaskar series match.

Should Rohit get dropped from captaincy in Sydney Test, then pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to take over the role for the match. Bumrah did captain the Men in Blue to victory in the first Test of the series before getting replaced by Rohit for the role in the second Test.

The post Gautam Gambhir NOT in favour of keeping Rohit Sharma in playing XI for Sydney Test? Report makes HUGE claim appeared first on Cricket Country.

Gambhir stated that a decision on the playing XI will be made after taking a look on the pitch. This is an eerie reply as the name of the skipper is the first thing that is given on the playing XI. Since Gambhir has officially not confirmed Rohit’s name in the playing XI, all sorts of speculations are coming out.

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami took to his social media and has pitched the idea of Shubman Gill leading the team for the match in Sydney.

Going by a particular visual , gill to lead 🇮🇳 in Sydney test ? So India already looking ahead to the next WTC cycle .This will be interesting . #BorderGavaskarTrophy

— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) January 2, 2025

Rohit is struggling in the batting department as his team is 2-1 down in the five-match Test series. He was not a part of Indian team when they registered a 295-run victory in the series opener in Perth. From the second Test onwards, he has only managed to score 31 runs.

The post Report- NOT Jasprit Bumrah: 25-Year-old player to replace Rohit Sharma as captain for Sydney test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Rohit Sharma has secured just 31 runs in the three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which has caused outrage against the captain along with calls growing louder for change. Though the coach stayed quiet on the captain’s potential cut-off from the XI, India’s practice session has also dropped a few hints. Rohit Sharma was not practicing slip catching, as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Nitish Kumar Reddy were taking the charge.

Rohit Sharma not part of the potentially new-look slip cordon. With Kohli at first, KL at second and Reddy at third. While Shubman Gill was taking catches at slip for a spinner. The massive intrigue of Indian cricket #AusvInd pic.twitter.com/aynUip01Om

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) January 2, 2025

Another point that hinted Rohit’s exclusion was his absence from the net session. While players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja did come out to bat, Rohit was nowhere to be seen. If Rohit Sharma gets dropped, Shubman Gill is the player who will most likely replace him in the XI.

If Rohit misses out a place at the Sydney match, Jasprit Bumrah will be the player to lead the side in the final Test. Bumrah earlier led the team in the series opener in Perth, where India won by 295 runs. India is currently behind in the series 2-1 and must win this upcoming Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. A victory in the Sydney Test is also going to keep their hopes alive for a chance in the World Test Championship (WTC) finals.

The post Rohit Sharma to be DROPPED from Indian squad for Sydney Test? Practice session gives rise to Speculations appeared first on Cricket Country.