India skipper Shubman Gill stated that he didn’t ever doubt his group’s capability to choose 20 wickets even in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
“I have said this before, this is one of the best Indian teams to play here and I believe we can take 20 wickets in any situation or conditions,” Gill stated on Sunday (July 6, 2025), after the large 336-run win over England in the second Test.
Best in the enterprise
“Jasprit bhai is one of the best bowlers in the world, but irrespective of that fact [his absence], we can take 20 wickets anywhere. And this was just another example.”
Gill, who tasted his maiden victory as Test captain, stated that the turning level of the match got here late on Saturday when Akash Deep left England surprised by eradicating each Ben Duckett and Joe Root cheaply.
“Getting through a top-four is never easy and that spell of Akash, how he got those two wickets, gave confidence to everyone that we can win this Test. And when he came [on Sunday morning], with the ball hitting the cracks and the odd ball seaming, that too instilled confidence.”
The 25-year-old was total impressed with India’s bowling on a largely unresponsive pitch. The job was made doubly tough with the ball refusing to yield to the bowler’s will as soon as the shine went off.
“We can be a little more consistent with our lines and our lengths, but sometimes you don’t get the wickets you deserve. Bowling, like batting, is always in partnerships. So the way we bowled from both the ends in this match, and not just the fast bowlers, was good.
“The wicket of the captain [Ben Stokes] by Washington [Sundar] was crucial. There are small moments that are very crucial for you to win. And we captured those small moments very well.”
Gill was additionally completely satisfied together with his personal batting self-discipline, staying in the center for over 12 hours to make scores of 269 and 161, which earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.
Lead by instance
“When you are the captain, you need to lead by example,” he stated. “And whenever there is another player in that situation, you can command to that player: ‘this is what the team requires’.
“And you always have to put the team first rather than your personal desires. That’s what I wanted to do. If a good ball gets me out, it gets me out. But as long as I am there, I want to play as long as possible,” Gill added.
