NEW DELHI: Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has criticised India’s Test captain Shubman Gill, saying the youngster is complacent and not yet equipped to handle the demands of all three formats at the international level.While acknowledging Gill’s natural talent, Panesar pointed out that the batter tends to play “lazy shots” during matches and lacks the intensity that defined Virat Kohli’s game across formats.
“He is a complacent cricketer. He has a lot of talent, but he starts playing lazy shots in the game. Virat Kohli’s intensity and aggression are evident in all formats. Shubhman Gill can’t do that. Too much burden for him. He can’t be the captain of all formats. It is too much for him,” Panesar told ANI.Panesar’s remarks come at a time when India have struggled in Test cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir, with the side suffering two whitewash defeats — 3-0 against New Zealand and 2-0 against South Africa.Speaking about Gambhir’s tenure, Panesar said the former India opener has proven himself as a white-ball coach but still needs time and experience in red-ball cricket.“Gautam Gambhir is a good coach in white-ball cricket because he has been successful. He could become the Ranji Trophy coach, and he should talk to the coaches who have coached in the Ranji Trophy about how you build a team in red ball cricket. Right now, the Indian team is weak in Test cricket. This is the reality. It’s not that strong. It will take time. When you retire three big players, it becomes difficult to keep the remaining players ready,” the former England cricketer said.Panesar also underlined Virat Kohli’s absence in the longest format, stating that while India have managed without him in white-ball cricket, his impact is clearly missing in Tests.“In white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli that much. But yes, in Test Cricket, it’s evident that Virat Kohli is not there, and the team’s intensity is lower.”The former left-arm spinner further claimed that Indian cricketers are not adequately prepared for red-ball cricket, arguing that the focus of young players is largely on securing IPL contracts rather than putting in the hard yards required in four-day cricket.“Indian players are not ready for Test Cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI don’t perform well in Test Cricket,” he said.Highlighting systemic issues, Panesar added that the gap between domestic cricket and the national Test side remains wide.“The gap between Ranji Trophy and India’s Test team is significant. The Ranji Trophy system is also very weak. The boys just want to play in IPL. They want to get a big contract. They want to play in T20I and ODI. It takes a lot of hard work in 4-day cricket. That’s why they want to give less time,” Panesar said.“They make more money in T20 cricket. They make less money in Test Cricket. But the reality is that the domestic cricket of the Ranji Trophy is very weak. It will take some time for India to make a comeback in Test cricket,” he added.
