Indian captain Shubman Gill, according to former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja, guided the team with a steady but defensive mentality during the just-finished five-Test series against England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.  

Jadeja believes that Gill and India's general strategy leaned more towards playing cautiously rather than aiming for outright victories, even though they were able to level the series with a thrilling final Test victory at the Kennington Oval.

Regarding Gill's leadership throughout the five games, Ajay Jadeja offered his opinions. He claimed that while the Indian captain's initial Test playing lineup indicated his strategy, he was willing to make adjustments if he thought something wasn't working.

“If we see his captaincy throughout the series, he has been consistent. He has been defensive. The kind of team you picked in the first match was the first signal. After that, he has been corrective. When he felt there was a shortcoming, he changed it the next time.

His approach is not aggressive. He has a defensive approach. However, one good thing was seen, although I might not agree with it, but the solidity was seen, and that is also evident on the scoreline,” Jadeja said on Sony Sports.

Although India appeared to be the superior team on paper, Jadeja pointed out that their dominance wasn't reflected in the final result. He claimed that India's starting lineups throughout the series indicated that they were more concerned with avoiding loss than with winning.

“The playing XI in all games was chosen with the primary objective of drawing the match, with winning being a secondary thought. Today, there was a moment when he had to make a lot of decisions. When a single was required off the last ball, he didn’t change his strategy. He still had fielders on the boundary. A single was also taken twice. This is a massive strength for anyone,” Jadeja added.

Although opinions of Gill's captaincy may differ, Jadeja thinks the Indian Test captain should establish a plan, follow it, and embrace it as his leadership style.

“I might want him to be aggressive, you might want him to be defensive, a third person might want something else, but if the one who has to make the decision sticks to his thought process, that is also a very important aspect. I would give 100 percent for that aspect,” Jadeja concluded.

Gill's next assignment as captain will be when India hosts the West Indies in a two-match Test series in October this year.