Now Reading: Matthew Hayden backs Shubman Gill to lead India in Tests
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Matthew Hayden backs Shubman Gill to lead India in Tests
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has backed India's Test captain Shubman Gill to handle the challenges in the longer format, calling him 'a wonderful young man and a good leader'. India are…
The Story in Brief
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has backed India's Test captain Shubman Gill to handle the challenges in the longer format, calling him 'a wonderful young man and a good leader'. India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, with four wins and four losses in nine matches. Hayden said the team has 'a job to do' ahead of the WTC final in June next year.
Hayden, who served as batting coach of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 under Gill's captaincy, noted that India's winning percentage in the current WTC cycle is below 50%. The former batter stressed India's role in sustaining Test cricket given the country's dominance in white-ball formats through the IPL. India's next major challenge is a two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting in Galle.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that India's Test cricket is in crisis ignores how Gill led India to a remarkable 754-run series in England and a defiant hundred at Manchester. Yes, India's WTC record is middling, but the team is blooding young players. The real test will be how Gill's side performs in Sri Lanka, where conditions are alien to most of the squad. One question matters: can India's batting hold together if the pitch starts turning square?
Sources (2): thehindu.com, thehindu.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
