 "Shubman Gill is congratulated by his teammates after winning his first toss as India captain during the second Test against West Indies in Delhi. Image credit: Screengrab/JioHotstar")
Friday turned out to be something of a historic day for young Shubman Gill as he won a toss for the first time since he was named Test captain in May this year. Gill finally snapped the toss jinx on the opening day of the second Test against West Indies in Delhi , in which the hosts are eyeing a 2-0 sweep.
Gill had lost the toss in each of the five Tests in England earlier this year. India’s absence of luck in that department, however, did not stop them from holding the hosts to a 2-2 draw, resulting in Gill sharing the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with England captain Ben Stokes.
India had lost 15 consecutive tosses across formats this year, the unwanted streak starting in January and covering the tour of England during the summer, and was ultimately brought to an end by T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the Asia Cup Group A match against UAE in Dubai.
Gill would then lose a sixth consecutive toss in the series opener against West Indies at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where his counterpart Roston Chase opted to bat. India would go on to bundle the visitors out for 162 and 146, posting a massive 448/5 on the board between those two innings to collect an innings and 140-run victory .
And on Friday, on the opening day of the second Test, Gill winning his first toss as India captain led to a mini celebration at the Arun Jaitley Stadium with head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah and other teammates walking up to congratulate the 26-year-old, who has been impressive so far with his leadership skills.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGill names unchanged XI for second Test against West Indies
Gill would then opt to bat while announcing an unchanged Indian XI, with India hoping to post a massive total on the board.
“We will bat first, the wicket looks good to bat on Day 1. Consistency is the key for us-to be able to repeat performances and to be able to have the same intensity in every match that we play. That’s something that we often speak about, and that’s what we are trying to look for in this Test match as well,” Gill said during the toss.
“Honestly, not much. I’m still the same person, but definitely have more responsibilities now, but I like responsibilities and a very exciting future for me (on being elevated across all formats). We have got the same team,” he added.