The hunt is on for a player to take on the job of India’s next Test captain and 25 year-old-Shubman Gill seems to have emerged as the frontrunner. If the mantle of captaincy finally is placed around his shoulders it will be a deserving honour for this young man from Punjab who has established himself as one of the most reliable batsmen in India nowadays.
But there are other names on the list also. One is K.L. Rahul who has previously captained India on three occasions and has two wins to his name. Rahul has rarely let his country down in the past and is a hard-working fighter. He was his side’s third leading run-scorer during the recent series in Australia. Rahul also has experience as captain with Punjab Kings and Lucknow SuperGiants in the IPL and could step up and perform the role of Test captain.
Two other names are Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. The former has a fairly good record as captain and it is difficult to say how the selectors will view the plus and minus aspects of his career. Among those who have spoken in favour of Iyer is Ravi Shastri. But something that the selectors must bear in mind is that Iyer hasn’t played Test cricket for a while and he has not faced pressure in recent times.
A more conservative choice would be Rishabh Pant who is India’s first choice wicket-keeper. He has displayed excellent leadership throughout his international and domestic career. But he is going through a lean patch in his batting performances.
Jasprit Bumrah ruled out
The BCCI was considering the name of Jasprit Bumrah for the job of captaincy. Bumrah has already had experience of leading the team in two matches and has also served as vice captain. However, the factor that went against Bumrah was that he is very likely to be rested for a few Tests in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle due to workload management.
According to reports, the selectors do not want to put additional burden on Bumrah and are looking for a younger and fitter player. Shubman Gill fits the bill perfectly and is the preferred option. The final selection will take place when the panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, meets later this month.
Factors that favour Gill
Gill has never led the Indian team in Test matches or ODIs, but has been the captain in five T20Is during a tour of Zimbabwe. However, it became clear that he was being groomed for the job of Test captain when that fact was mentioned in various circles within the BCCI. His performance as batter and captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL has been impressive and cemented his place as a leading contender for Test captain.
Gill’s Test career has been steady and consistently good. He made his Test debut for India on 26 December 2020 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the fourth Test he scored 91 runs off 146 balls, playing a crucial role in India’s series win.
Next, during England’s tour of India, Gill scored 119 runs in four matches, including a half-century in the second innings of the first match. India won the Test series 3–1. In November 2021, during New Zealand’s tour of India, Gill scored 144 runs in the Test series and was the fourth-highest run-scorer of the series which was won by India.
Now it is hoped that his astute cricketing brain and youthful energy will be of great help to India when it takes on England in the series to begin in June. The tour will consist of five Test matches and the series will form part of the 2025-2027 World Test Championships.
India Vs England is a big draw
Every Indian tour of England is always a big draw and a highlight of any cricket season in the UK. The last Test series was a keenly fought one and experts say this clash will be just as exciting. So all eyes will be on India and more particularly on the performance of India’s new captain who will probably be Shubman Gill.
| 
