Manchester: ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting had a word of advice for the Indian skipper Shubman Gill on how to balance between aggression and control.
With the series tied at 1-1 ahead of the Lord’s Test last week, the closely fought third Test between England and India saw plenty of drama on the field.
This included an animated flare-up between Gill and England openers towards the end of the third day of the Test.
India had managed to equal England’s first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn’t possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and the India skipper got involved in a heated discussion with Zak Crawley and then Ben Duckett.
Ponting understood why Gill’s aggressive posturing at Lord’s was met with surprise.
“That was a little out of character from what I've known from Shubman in the past,” Ponting said in the latest episode of The ICC Review. “I am sure everyone that was there watching it and I know you would know him quite well, that's not what he's generally like.”
However, the former Australia skipper said it was a case of Gill taking a stand for his team in the scenario.
“That's the captain standing up for his team, that's a captain really wanting to show that it's his team now and this is the way that we're going to play the game, and also, I guess, wanting to give a little bit back,” Ponting said.
Ponting has played Tests in England across four separate tours, and twice as captain (2005 and 2009). He said that the pressures of such a high-profile tour could get to a skipper.
“The UK can be a hard place to play. The crowds, as much as they love their game, can be as hostile a place to play as anywhere in the world," he said.
“The media there, when you're in a big series, when it's an Ashes series or when it's England and India, the media always feel like they're right on top of your back as well,” Ponting said.
Ponting also believes that in the middle of a high-octane Test, which India eventually lost by merely 22 runs, Gill needed to make his presence felt on his players, in a manner similar to former skipper Virat Kohli.
“I think that's him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat (Kohli) did, similar ways like that. Rohit (Sharma) probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players," he said.
“I know he (Rohit) would quite often get aggressive with his teammates and try to bring the best out of them that way. But I love watching Shubman stand up for what he thought was right in the game last week,” Ponting added.
With the series 2-1 in favour of the hosts, England and India will square off in the fourth Test in Manchester, starting Wednesday.
