I didn’t like the acting from Gill, says Jonathan Trott

Jonathan Trott criticised India captain Shubman Gill’s animated on-field reaction as unnecessary gamesmanship, saying a captain should set the tone. He praised KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for their smart shot selection and calm during their partnership in the third Test.

HYDERABAD: Former England star batter and JioHotstar expert Jonathan Trott, reflecting on the on-field tension and India captain Shubman Gill’s animated response to the English openers just before the close of play, said it was a little bit of gamesmanship — and that for him (Trott), they don’t know what went on when England were fielding, whether they were dishing it out.

“But, I didn’t like the acting from Shubman Gill. As a captain, you set the tone, and as I have said before, pointing fingers and getting confrontational feels reminiscent of a previous captain, who used to get in the opposition’s face,” Trott said.

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“That is not what the game should be about. I am all for being competitive and tough on the field, but sometimes you have to rise above it. That said, it certainly sets up a fascinating day tomorrow,” the former England cricketer said.

On the game awareness and shot selection shown by Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul during their partnership, Trott said, “Just the way they put the bad balls away — it was impressive. “At times, they were very watchful, especially when the England bowlers had their tails up. They knew how to defend, played good, solid shots, and picked up singles when available. But the key was putting away the bad deliveries,” he said.

“That is always the sign of quality players — surviving the tough spells and then putting pressure back on the opposition when there is a mistake. We certainly saw both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul do that really well,” Trott said.