After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on social media, Indian selectors appear to be eyeing Shubman Gill as Test captain. This news came as a shock not only to the cricketing fraternity but also to the selection committee and the BCCI.
Now that Rohit’s career in the longest format is finished, the onus lies on the committee led by Ajit Agarkar to identify a strong candidate as a long-term captain, and Gill looks to be one of them. Bumrah could have been next in line since he stepped in as captain whenever Rohit was unavailable. However, given his history with injuries and general workload, it is unlikely that he will be awarded the captaincy for the England tour where they will play five Tests.
The team management is keen on having a captain who can be seated on the field for most of the matches, unlike Bumrah, who is better off as a vice-captain. The Indian Express quoted some sources stating that they intend to approach the BCCI to have Gill officially named. Gill has only led the Indian team once in a T20 series against Zimbabwe last year but has served as vice-captain in ODIs and T20s.
He has been an integral part of the leadership group for Gujarat Titans this IPL as they have won eight of their 11 games so far. He took over the reins last year when Hardik Pandya switched back to Mumbai Indians. Since his Test debut in December 2020, Gill has represented India in 32 Tests, amassing 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05, including five centuries and seven fifties.
