How Captains Take Charge...

Shubman Gill has work to do.

“Nasser was fielding at short leg and the batsman pushed one past him, not going very quickly. Nass didn’t move and Hoggy, who was bowling at the other end, had to run all the way around from long leg to field the ball and throw it back to the ‘keeper. It was just a warm-up game and I think they’d got off to a decent start, and we were all a bit lethargic in the field,” recalls Steve Harmison.

It was England’s first tour since Michael Vaughan had taken over the captaincy from Nasser Hussain after the series loss to South Africa when a young Graeme Smith scored back-to-back double centuries in the opening two matches. Hussain, having relinquished the captaincy, was the senior pro.

“Michael called a huddle at drinks after the first hour and gave us a lashing. He absolutely roasted Nasser – “It’s 30 degrees out here and you let the fast bowler do the chasing? You do the f***ing chasing next time, what’s wrong with you?” roared the new captain.

“We honestly thought it was a set-up. We assumed the two of them had conjured up this plan to make the rest of us know that the leadership had changed hands and that we were now Michael’s team. Not so. When we realised it was ‘for real’ most of us were staring at our feet, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves.”

The transition from a long-established captain is mostly difficult, but especially so when the former leader remains in the team. Even when there is a ‘natural’ transition of captaincy, even when the former skipper has stepped away voluntarily, it can be tricky. Which leads us onto Shubman Gill’s captaincy of the Indian Test side in England.

It doesn’t appear that much was noticed about how ‘hard’ he was trying at Headingley. A man extremely keen to show that he was, indeed, the captain. To the point of betraying insecurity in his position. He (inadvertently?) copied Virat Kohli’s animation when Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped the first of his many catches, punching the air in angry frustration. That’s not helpful, to anyone.

He argued with the umpires which Kohli could get away with because, well, he was Kohli, but he could only match Rohit in the pre-match press conference in which he was calm, assured and reassuring. That is the version of Gill which India need.

After an hour’s play into the second session of the fifth day at Headingley, the Indian team knew they were in big trouble. It was ‘last roll of the dice time.’ A huddle was called and Jasprit Bumrah was at its animated and passionate core. He was beseeching every player for one, final push.

It struck me that Gill, in the heat of battle, may have made a mature and sensible captaincy decision. To allow, even ask, the most charismatic and respected play in the team to do the talking. And I said so, on air, with England just three hours away from a famous victory. Harmy was my co-commentator on the TalkSPORT YouTube channel, as empathetic and respectful as ever.

He touched my arm and pointed to the new pavilion from where Gill was just re-emerging after a toilet break. He hadn’t been on the field when Bumrah exhorted the team for a final push, and to keep believing.

Gill’s brilliant first innings century went a long way to earning his players’ respect but there is more to be done. The fact that KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant appeared to be doing much of the strategic tactical changes can be seen in two ways – he was confident enough to allow his seniors to take charge, or he’d lost the plot. Or didn’t know the plot. India needs Gill to calm down, take deep breaths and be the leader he knows, not that others think he can be, or were.

*What a day for Lhuan-dre Pretorius and South Africa in Bulawayo. Remarkable. From 55-4 the burly left-hander became the youngest player in Test history to score 150+, and on debut. And having scored a century on first-class debut, too. South Africa has a frustrating history of waiting too long to promote exceptional talent but, occasionally, it comes right. As was said of Graeme Pollock, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Let’s see where he fits in when the ‘real’ WTC fixtures start. Opening?