Shubman Gill | Source: X.com
Seasoned Indian spinner Amit Mishra has sparked controversy with his statements about young opener Shubman Gill, indirectly accusing former head coach Rahul Dravid of favouritism in his treatment of Gill.
Amit Mishra pointed to the Zimbabwe series, where Shubman Gill was chosen as captain and successfully led the team to a 4–1 win in the five-match T20 series.
Sharing his thoughts on Shubman Gill’s elevation to India captain for the T20I series against Zimbabwe, he mentioned he doesn’t think the young opener should have been entrusted with the responsibility.
Amit Mishra believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad is a better choice overall, especially as a batter. In a conversation on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast, Mishra made it clear that he wouldn’t have chosen Gill as India’s T20 captain for the Zimbabwe series.
“Mai Shubman ko captain nahi banaunga, kyonki maine usey IPL me dekha, he doesn’t know ki captaincy kaise karna hai, uske paas captaincy ka idea hi nahi hai. (I would not have made him the captain. You saw the IPL this season, Gill doesn’t know how to captain the side, he is clueless),” Amit Mishra said on the show.
“Just because he is a part of the Indian team, he shouldn’t be made the captain. Gill has done well in the IPL over the last few seasons, he did fine in the Indian team as well. The Indian team made him the captain as they want to give him leadership experience, which wasn’t visible when he led Gujarat Titans in IPL,” Mishra added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Should Hire Better PR: Amit Mishra
Ruturaj Gaikwad | Source: Twitter
Amit Mishra further addressed the issue of favouritism, mentioning that although everyone has their favourites, he would have opted for Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead Team India. Here’s what Amit Mishra said on being asked if Rahul Dravid’s favouritism helped Gill getting captain’s cap:
“Everyone has some liking. I am not a Shubman Gill hater, I also like him. But, I feel Ruturaj is a better option because he has scored runs in tough situations, be it for Chennai Super Kings or during the Asian Games. He is a good option, should be kept with the team, the way Yashasvi Jaiswal was with the Indian side at the T20 World Cup.”
Amit Mishra further stated that Ruturaj Gaikwad is a versatile player capable of excelling in all three formats because he avoids risky shots. He then took a jab by suggesting that Gaikwad should hire a better PR team.
“He is someone who can deliver in T20Is, ODIs and Tests. The most important thing is, who brings calmness to the team? He doesn’t play risky shots much. He should hire a good manager (for social media PR),” Mishra further added.