Drawing Test series in England with young team is big motivation for Gill: Kaneria

New Delhi, Aug 5 Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes that India skipper Shubman Gill’s leadership debut - guiding a young team to a 2-2 Test series draw against England - will serve as a major source of motivation for the youngster going ahead in his career.

Before the start of the tour, Gill's appointment as Test captain after the retirements of former captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli attracted mixed reactions. However, Gill not only silenced his doubters but also attained new heights as a batter after finishing the five-Test series with an aggregate of 754 runs, including four centuries.

"Hats off to the crowd, they made it feel like the game was being played in India. Shubman Gill did a great captaincy throughout the tour and his tactical brilliance on the final day helped India a lot. His decision to continue with the old bowl hugely benefited India," Kaneria told IANS.

"This series was important for Shubman Gill as it was his first series as a captain. Drawing a series overseas with a young team is a big motivation for him. He will learn a lot of things in the future, and there will always be ifs and buts but I think he can be a fantastic captain in a long run. He absorbed the pressure brilliantly, and it is a good start of his captaincy career."

The former spinner continued his praise for pacer Mohammed Siraj for his outstanding morning spell on the final day of the series that enabled India to win the fifth Test by six runs and level the series 2-2.

"Siraj was outstanding with the ball, he was unbelievable. I feel happy to see a cricketer like him. He never gives up. He was upset with the loss at Lord's and he made sure that India win at The Oval and level the series. He gave his heart and soul for the country. It was a terrific win and the Test match to watch," he said.

"Without Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, this Test was very important for India as the series was on the line. They wanted to win the Test and make a statement. People criticised them before going on the tour but they made sure to give a tough contest. This team has raised the expectations of people. Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair played their role," Kaneria added.

Apart from the runs and wickets, the series will also be remembered for the courage shown by Rishabh Pant and Chris Woakes - putting their injured bodies on the line for the sake of their country. Kaneria stated that such acts sends a motivation to everyone while recalling Anil Kumble's grit of bowling with a broken jaw against the West Indies in 2002.

"It motivates a lot. Chris Woakes should be credited for what he did. When you play for your country, you don't think about pain. We've have this a lot in the past, Anil Kumble is the leading example when he bowled with a broken jaw. It is a big motivation for everyone. Rishabh Pant also scored runs even after fracturing his foot. When Woakes was running, he was in severe pain but still he tried and that's the beauty of the game," he signed off.

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