New Delhi: Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar on Saturday said that India’s Test squad for the tour to England was ‘strange’ but also commented that a patient approach should be taken towards the new skipper Shubman Gill, who has big shoes to fill in.
The BCCI announced a strong 18-member Test squad for the tour to England beginning with the first Test match on June 20. Gill was handed the responsibility to steer the team during the phase of transition after the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently. Rishabh Pant has been named as the vice-captain of the team.
India have nothing to lose: Manjrekar
Taking to his X handle and not explaining the reasons for his comment, the former Indian cricketer said that India have nothing to lose in the England series.
‘Strange team selection overall. But India go to England with nothing to lose. It’s a team in transition so we can only wish it the very best & yes, be patient when it comes to returns on investment.#indianteam,’ Manjrekar, the former batter wrote.
On the other hand, former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh congratulated Gill for becoming the new skipper and also lauded the squad selection.
Former seam-all-rounder Irfan Pathan wrote: ‘Many Congratulations to Sai Sudarshan, Arshdeep Singh, Karun Nair for being selected for the ultimate format and the challenging English summer. Congratulations to Shubman Gill for being appointed as Indian test captain. But surely team India is going to miss Mohammed Shami’s services in those conditions,’ Pathan wrote.
‘Congratulations @ShubmanGill. Good luck in England,’ wrote former India skipper Harbhajan Singh.
At 25 years of age, Gill will be India’s fifth youngest Test captain after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (21), Sachin Tendulkar (23), Kapil Dev (24) and Ravi Shastri (25). The IPL franchises like Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru also took to social media to congratulate Gill.
(With PTI inputs)
The BCCI announced a strong 18-member Test squad for the tour to England beginning with the first Test match on June 20. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
