In a surprising shift of tone, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has gone from critic to admirer of Shubman Gill - just days after calling out the India captain's leadership decision in the fourth Test. The turnaround came on the back of Gill's hundred at Old Trafford.
Gill's 103 on Day 5 against England marked his fourth century of the series. It placed him alongside legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Don Bradman for most hundreds in a Test series as captain.
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It was a knock built under pressure with India trailing and conditions far from ideal.
Mohammad Kaif praises Shubman Gill's growth after century
Soon after the Manchester knock, Kaif posted a brief but telling update on social media praising Gill's batting and development as a leader.
"Growing in stature Shubman Gill, knows the Art of run making," Kaif wrote on X.
At the start of the Manchester Test, Kaif had questioned Gill's call to drop Karun Nair who had returned to the Test side after a long absence but failed to deliver consistently in the first three matches.
The decision to bring in Sai Sudharsan at No.3 didn't sit well with Kaif who believed Gill missed a leadership opportunity by not backing a struggling teammate.
"Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back Karun, who was down but deserved one more chance.. Chance missed to earn the respect," Kaif had posted earlier on X.
While team decisions remain debatable, Gill's consistent run-scoring is gradually winning over his skeptics. With one more Test left in the series, the 25-year-old now has a chance to move past the Bradman-Gavaskar record.