Mohammad Kaif questions Shubman Gill’s captaincy after India’s drawn Test against Sri Lanka

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Mohammad Kaif has questioned Shubman Gill’s captaincy after India drew its second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. India entered the final day in a commanding position after reducing Sri Lanka to six wickets down in their follow-on innings, but the hosts produced a determined fightback to deny the visitors a series-clinching victory.

Sri Lanka eventually declared at 429/9, setting India a target of 217 runs before the two teams shook hands for a draw. India still won the two-match series 1-0, but Kaif felt the visitors failed to capitalise on crucial moments and raised concerns over Gill’s tactical decisions during the final stages of the Test.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif felt India had enough assistance from the Colombo pitch to put Sri Lanka under greater pressure. He argued that the ball was turning and that India failed to make the most of the conditions. The former India batter believes Gill, who is still relatively new to Test captaincy, needs more time to develop his leadership skills. Kaif bluntly stated that the India captain is not yet the finished product.

“As a captain, Shubman Gill is still learning. When we talk about him becoming a mature captain, I feel he is still not the finished product,” Kaif said.

Kaif also stressed that mistakes are natural for a young captain, but suggested the second Test exposed areas where Gill needs to improve. According to him, India’s approach with the ball, particularly the constant changes in personnel and short spells, prevented the bowlers from building sustained pressure.

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One of Kaif’s biggest concerns was the manner in which India rotated their bowlers on the final day. He felt the attack was not given enough time to settle into a rhythm, particularly when India were searching for wickets. Kaif highlighted Mohammed Siraj’s usage as an example, pointing out that the pacer sometimes bowled only a single over before being taken out of the attack and returning several overs later.

“What I saw was that the bowlers were being used in one-over spells. I have rarely seen a captain use a bowler like that,” Kaif said.

The former batter argued that India did not need to constantly experiment on the fifth day. Instead, he felt the bowlers should have been trusted with longer spells to maintain pressure and exploit the assistance available from the surface. Despite Sri Lanka’s resistance denying India a win in the second Test, Gill’s side secured a 1-0 series victory. Gill has now led India in 11 Tests, winning six, losing three and drawing two.

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