Shubhman Gill, the right -hand batter, can be made captain of the Indian team in the Test. Indian captain Rohit Sharma retired on May 7 and Virat Kohli on May 12 from Test cricket. His retirement has increased speculation about leadership in the team.
The news agency Ani quoted a source as saying that Gill is ahead in the race to become a captain. Apart from him, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also in the captaincy race. If Pant does not become a captain, he can be made a vice-captain. The selection committee can announce the Indian Test team for a tour of England on Saturday, May 24. The tour will begin on June 20. India will play 5 Test series there.
In front of the race of auspicious captaincy Shubhman is ahead of Bumrah in the captaincy race. He has led the team in ODIs and T20. In young batters, at present only the glorious, the pant and the auspicious seem to be permanent. Shubhman is 25 years old and Virat also took over the captaincy at almost a similar age.
Even though Shubhman may not become a captain right now, the team can make it a vice-captain and prepare for the future. In the last 5 years, pitches around the world have been difficult for batting. Nevertheless, Shubham has batted brilliantly and scored 5 centuries.
1. Bumrah big contender, fitness problem
Jasprit Bumrah captained 2 Tests on a tour of Australia. The team won in Perth, but Australia won the Sydney Test. Bumrah was injured in the first innings of the match, complaining of a pull in the waist. After which he could not bowl again in the match, so that India could not put pressure in the second innings.
Bumrah has often struggled with fitness, with the last time injured in 2022, he stayed away from cricket for about 15 months. It is also important to rest for 1-2 matches during the long test series. It is not necessary to play all the matches to win in India. Therefore, it is difficult for him to be a permanent captain.
However, if Bumrah becomes captain, the team will have to appoint 1 or 2 sub-captain, which will take over in the absence of Bumrah. However, according to media reports, Bumrah has refused to lead the team by giving the cause of fitness. It is also difficult to play all the matches in England.
2. Rishabh Pant has scored a century in England
There are only a few players in the current Indian team whose place in playing-11 does not seem to be at risk. Rishabh Pant is one of them. Pant has become the world's best wicketkeeper batsman in the last 6 years. He has played many matches in this format. Pant is also the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in Australia, South Africa and England.
Making Pant a captain can be a bit dangerous, as his batting is also very dangerous. If management makes it captain, the team may have surprising results in its captaincy, just like its bat. Pant has not led India in any format. However, he definitely has the experience of captaincy in IPL and local cricket.
3. In front of the race of auspicious captaincy
Shubhman is ahead in the race of the captaincy after Bumrah. He has led the team in ODIs and T20. At the young batsmen, it seems only to be permanent, pant and auspicious. Shubhman is 25 years old and Virat also took over the captaincy at almost a similar age.
Even though Shubhman may not become a captain right now, the team can make it a sub-captain and prepare for the future. In the last 5 years, pitches around the world have been difficult for batting, however, Shubham has batted brilliantly and scored 5 centuries.
4. Gill can be ready under Rahul's captaincy
KL Rahul has been India's top batsman on foreign pitches in the last 5 years. He also has a record of scoring a century while opening on pitches in South Africa, Australia and England. After Rohit's retirement, his opening is also considered a confirmation.
Rahul also has the experience of captaining 3 Tests, in which the team won twice. If team management wants a stable option then there is no good captain from Rahul. By making Rahul a captain for the England series, Shubhman can be prepared under his leadership.
First Test from June 20 in England
Team India will travel to England in June. The first test will be played at Headingley on June 20. The tour will continue till August 4. Team India drawn the last Test series 2-2 in England under Virat Kohli's captaincy.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).