'I contemplated having a word with Ravi': Ex-fielding coach on his fight with Shubman Gill

Former India fielding coach R Sridhar recently released his new book, where he touched upon various topics from his time with the Indian cricket team. In his book, Sridhar recalled an incident involving Shubman Gill, saying that things came to a boil with the Indian youngster during the last Test match against England in March 2021. Sridhar stated that he even contemplated having a word with the then-head coach Ravi Shastri regarding Shubman's behaviour. 

When R Sridhar had a fight with Shubman, here's what he did:

Sridhar went on to add that he then decided to have a chat with Shubman himself and took the 23-year-old for a lunch. Sridhar revealed that he spoke with Shubman and told him how people are looking at him from a leadership perspective and that whatever he does should be an inspiration for the whole team. Sridhar told Shubman to play with full intent whenever he is on the field and make his presence felt. 

"In Ahmedabad, during the last Test against England in March 2021, things came to a boil with Shubman. I contemplated having a word with Ravi about it but held my horses and took him out for lunch instead," Sridhar wrote in his  book 'Coaching Beyond: My days with the Indian Cricket team.'

"I told him, ‘You are considered the next big thing. People are looking at you from a leadership perspective. As a future leader, the one thing you should bring is an inspiration. You should have a presence on the field and when you do something you must do it with intent. It is not just doing it for the sake of the team. Do it for yourself.’ Do it for your satisfaction, not because the captain wants you there. What you do there should be an inspiration for the whole team," Sridhar added.

Shubman has since become a vital part of the Indian cricket team, especially in the Test and ODI formats. Shubman recently became the fifth Indian batter to score a double century in 50-over cricket. He achieved the feat in the first ODI against New Zealand last week. Shubman was also a crucial member of the Indian team that won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Test series) in Australia in January 2021. In the ongoing third and final ODI against the Kiwis, Shubman scored a quickfire century. 

Image: AP/Twitter/SRH