‘You will be criticized for captaincy too’: Gavaskar’s honest verdict on Shubman Gill

India captain Shubman Gill (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Shubman Gill’s remarkable purple patch continued on Wednesday as the Indian skipper produced another batting masterclass, drawing high praise from Sunil Gavaskar after India’s emphatic ODI series win over Afghanistan in Lucknow.Gill has enjoyed a stunning onslaught of form over the past three weeks, piling up runs across formats and competitions. The 26-year-old began the sequence with a commanding century for Gujarat Titans against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 before registering his 11th Test hundred in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. He then followed an unbeaten 85 in the rain-affected ODI in Dharamsala with a brilliant 154 in Lucknow as India secured a dominant victory.The last innings came in challenging conditions and helped set up a massive 402 for India. Gill shared a match-defining 224-run stand with Ishan Kishan, who made 125, as the pair completely took the game away from Afghanistan.Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, Gavaskar said Gill’s success with the bat has also had a positive impact on his captaincy.“When you’re not running, you’re not confident about making those marginal moves that come from inside you, like holding a bowler who bowled well, giving him an extra or moving a fielder out of a certain position. That feeling is much stronger when you’re playing yourself. But if you don’t perform, even if you feel like you’re feeling bad about it, you’re doing yourself a disservice.” you are also not performing as a player, you will be criticized for your captaincy as well,” Gavaskar said.While Gill and Kishan stole the limelight with the bat, India’s young fast bowlers also played a key role in completing the victory. Afghanistan were dismissed for 232 with debutants Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav taking five wickets each.Gavaskar was particularly impressed with Brar’s performance, praising both his bowling rhythm and ability to trouble batsmen with steep bounce.“His run-up is so good, his rhythm is so good, he hits the deck and makes the ball climb. The wicket he got off Gurbaz was particularly impressive because of the way the bouncer tracked him. It’s very accurate. It comes right at you, exactly where the batsman doesn’t want it. I think the selection committee deserves all the compliments. If you look at his stats or his stats, no. I’d say he he deserved the India cap. But the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar saw something in him and that’s why the management also backed him, which is so important,” added the former India captain.India’s all-round show secured a 170-run victory to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, with Gill’s excellent form continuing to be one of the team’s biggest positives.