"I liked 2 things a lot" - Sanjay Bangar lauds Shubman Gill's captaincy in IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Former India player Sanjay Bangar has lauded Shubman Gill for his captaincy in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies. He highlighted that the Indian captain and team management made the right decision to play on batter-friendly surfaces.

India registered a 2-0 win in the two-match Test series against the West Indies. They thrashed the visitors by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test in Ahmedabad and clinched a seven-wicket win in the second Test in Delhi on Tuesday, October 14.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues,' Bangar was asked about his thoughts on Gill's captaincy in the Test series against the Windies.

"I liked two things a lot, which should also be done. He decided to play on such a pitch. The team management, especially the coach and captain, has a slight say as to what sort of surface they would play on. They played on good batting surfaces, due to which the Indian batters got a chance to score five centuries," he responded.

The former India batting coach pointed out that being among the runs at home would hold the batters in good stead on overseas tours.

"They will have confidence in their abilities because of that. That proves hugely beneficial in overseas Test matches because you want your sack of runs to be filled when you play overseas Tests as you don't know what sort of conditions you will get in overseas Test matches," Bangar observed.

KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries in India's only innings in the first Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill scored hundreds in the hosts' first innings of the second Test.

---

"Being in the present, you have to pay a little attention to the future" - Sanjay Bangar on Shubman Gill playing Nitish Kumar Reddy in IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Nitish Kumar Reddy (right) and Shubman Gill stitched together a 91-run partnership in the second Test against the West Indies. [P/C: BCCI]

In the same interaction, Sanjay Bangar praised Shubman Gill for playing Nitish Kumar Reddy in the XI keeping the overseas Test series against New Zealand in mind.

"Secondly, while playing this Test, the focus was also on the Test matches against New Zealand to be played after eight months. Because of that, they played Nitish Reddy as well. Being in the present, you have to pay a little attention to the future when you are in a leadership position. I believe the decisions Shubman Gill took were excellent," he said.

The former India all-rounder also appreciated Gill for the way he rotated his bowlers in the West Indies' second innings of the Delhi Test.

"The way he rotated Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and the three spinners when they had to bowl for nearly 400 runs in the West Indies' second innings, I saw excellent changes. He got Bumrah and Siraj to bowl at the right time. The changes he made to use the ends for Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were also exceptional," Bangar elaborated.

Jasprit Bumrah (3/44) and Mohammed Siraj (2/43) together picked up five wickets in the Windies' second innings of the second Test. While Kuldeep Yadav (3/104) accounted for three dismissals, Ravindra Jadeja (1/102) and Washington Sundar (1/80) took a wicket apiece.

Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news

Edited by Kartik Iyer