Overview
- Monty Panesar labelled Shubman Gill a complacent player who plays lazy shots and said he is not ready to captain across formats, contrasting him with Virat Kohli’s intensity.
- Panesar urged Gautam Gambhir to gain red-ball know-how by coaching in the Ranji Trophy and consulting domestic coaches, calling India weak in Tests during a transition.
- India’s recent red-ball slide under Gambhir includes home whitewashes of 3-0 to New Zealand and 2-0 to South Africa, underscoring concerns about Test planning.
- BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla denied any move to replace Gambhir or to appoint VVS Laxman, calling such reports baseless.
- Panesar floated Yuvraj Singh as a possible assistant or batting coach, while Gill—left out of the T20 World Cup after scoring 291 runs in 15 T20I innings—prepares for a Vijay Hazare outing and the New Zealand white-ball series starting January 11.