India’s new Test captain, Shubman Gill, offered a candid assessment of his side’s shortcomings after England pulled off a record run-chase to win the first Test at Headingley by five wickets. The match, which had initially tilted in India’s favour, ended in disappointment as Ben Duckett’s blistering 149 guided the hosts to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England’s chase of 371 in just 82 overs was built on aggressive intent and capitalisation on Indian fielding lapses—something Gill openly acknowledged. Speaking after the match, Gill remarked, “A brilliant Test, we had our chances. Dropped catches, lower order not contributing cost us.”
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India dominated early in the game, finishing Day 1 on a commanding 359/3. However, a sudden middle-order collapse the following morning saw them post 471—a total that, while imposing, didn’t reflect the position of strength they held. Gill, who led from the front with a well-made 147, was among five Indian batters to score centuries, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant—who struck twin tons in both innings. Yet, despite this exceptional individual batting display, India faltered in key moments.
Reflecting on Day 4’s batting collapse, Gill admitted that India had hoped to set a much steeper target. “Yesterday, we were thinking of giving them 430, but our last wickets fell for 25,” he said, referring to the lower order’s inability to add meaningful runs.
Fielding lapses also played a crucial role. “Even today, I thought we had our chances after the brilliant first wicket. Didn’t go to hand,” Gill noted, highlighting crucial missed opportunities that allowed England to build momentum in their chase.
India’s bowlers began Day 5 with discipline, maintaining tight lines and conceding few runs in the first session. But as the ball softened, England accelerated. “The first session, we bowled spot-on. Didn’t give away runs, but it’s hard to stop runs once it gets old,” said Gill, acknowledging the difficulty of containment once the ball lost its bite. “We have to keep taking wickets when the ball got soft,” he added.
Gill was full of praise for Ravindra Jadeja, who posed consistent threats with the ball. “Jadeja bowled brilliantly, created chances,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gill remained measured about managing the team’s resources, especially when asked about the workload of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. “It’s decided game-by-game. Once we’re close to the next game after a long break, we’ll see.”
Despite the loss, Gill emphasized that this young Indian side is still in a learning phase. “We spoke about the first-innings collapse. Happens, we have to rectify that going forward. Chances don’t come easy on wickets like this, but we have a young team. Learning one. Hope to improve that,” he concluded.
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