Wadekar, Kapil and Dravid are the only India captains to win Test series in England.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former India skipper, said Shubman Gill resembled an 'amalgam' of three former India captains- Ajit Wadekar, Kapil Dev, and Rahul Dravid during the second Test against England in Birmingham, as Gill & Co. broke a long-standing jinx of India failing to win a single Test there.
Speaking on India's few Test series victories in England, under Wadekar in 1971, Kapil in 1986, and Dravid 18 years ago, Gavaskar recognized a common quality among these captains: calm, composed leadership.
Gavaskar stated that all three captains had a calm and cool demeanor, which he believes played an important role in guiding India to those great series victories against England.
“It might be pertinent to note that India has won a Test series in England only thrice. In 1971 under Ajit Wadekar, in 1986 under Kapil Dev, and in 2007 under Rahul Dravid. All three were the coolest skippers one could ever hope for. The laconic style of Wadekar, the rip-roaring yet controlled style of Kapil, and the intense and thoughtful method of Dravid,” Gavaskar wrote in Mid-day.
Shubman Gill was appointed the India Test team captain after the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Ahead of the series, many were questioning the former’s batting technique in the longest format.
“Not once did these three ever get excited, whatever the situation, and that calm certainty was infectious. Shubman Gill in Birmingham looked like an amalgam of these three. Intense and iconic while scoring a double century and a century, rip-roaring as well as thoughtful as his bowlers ran through the England batting in both innings," Gavaskar added.
The upcoming Manchester Test is a must-win for India to stay alive in the series and have a chance to win it. The two sides will face off in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in Manchester beginning July 23.