Shubman Gill needs to trust Sundar: Robin Uthappa

Former India batter Robin Uthappa believes Shubman Gill’s STINT as India’s Test captain is still a work in progress, especially when it comes to trusting and nurturing spin resources. While Gill has shown promise as a young leader, Uthappa feels that India’s struggles in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle show the need for better bowling management, particularly of spinners like Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.

The recent home Test series defeat against South Africa has severely dented people's questions about Gill’s captaincy. Although the team managed to draw the Test series in England 2-2, the overall results have raised questions about tactical decision-making and resource utilisation. Gill, who has taken over leadership responsibilities in ODIs and Tests, now faces the challenge of transforming from a lead batter into a complete Test captain.

Uthappa pointed out that Gill may be unintentionally undermining spinners like Sundar by not fully backing them in match situations. He explained that captains sometimes perceive certain bowlers as easy to play and, as a result, hesitate to give them extended spells. According to Uthappa, this mindset can stall a bowler’s growth and harm the team in the long run.

"I think Shubman, as a captain, needs to trust him [Washington Sundar]. Because certain players feel they can play a bowler easily, they don't value skill as much as the next person, because he feels like he's an easy bowler [to play against]. It's human nature. It's happened in Indian cricket before. But for the development of Indian cricket, Washington and Kuldeep have to play a lot of Test matches and bowl a bulk of overs," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

Bowling unit has to fire: Uthappa

The former stated India’s strong batting unit but emphasised that consistent series victories depend on a firing bowling attack. He noted that while batting can win individual matches, bowlers win series. To achieve that balance, captains must invest in bowlers even during tough phases of a game.

"We can win matches by batting, but to win a series, the bowling unit has to fire. For that, you need to develop players. We need to give exposure to bowlers. Kuldeep Yadav should bowl 20-25 overs, make him used to that."

Kuldeep Yadav is seen as a bowler who needs longer spells to build rhythm and confidence. Uthappa suggested that allowing Kuldeep to bowl 20 to 25 overs regularly would help him adapt to the demands of Test cricket and become a match-winner.