‘Don’t lead…’: Aakash Chopra speaks about Shubman Gill needing Workload management

Indian captain Shubman gill faced an injury on his neck during Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, for which he was also ruled out from the remainder of the game. Since the injury, talks have been centred around the need to manage the workload of the Indian skipper, who now plays all the three formats.

However, former Indian star does not exactly agree with these comments. Addressing his chat with Gautam Gambhir a while ago, Aakash stated that the head coach believes if one wants to manage his workload while leading the team, they should skip the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is worth noting that Gill is also the skipper of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL.

“I asked this question to Gautam before the Test match against the West Indies. His point was that if you need workload management, then skip the IPL. If you don’t want to lead because leading the IPL team puts too much pressure, then don’t lead. And while playing for India, if you are fit, you are not mentally fatigued,” Chopra, a JioStar expert, said during a Media Day ahead of the second Test.

Aakash Chopra also pointed out how when a batter is going in good form, he wants to make the best outcome from it. Also he noted that since there is no fitness concern and no mental exhaustion regarding a specific player, the management should stick with the player and give them as much chance to play as often as possible.

“And as a batter, I can also second the opinion that when you are going through a good form, you really want to maximise. Because you never know when the bad form hits you and where the next one is going to come from. So, if there is no fitness concern per se and if there is no mental burnout concern that is very individual-specific, you stay with them and you play as much as you can, as often as you can,” he signed off.