Rohit Sharma has suddenly retired from Test cricket in the middle of the IPL. India will tour England after the IPL. The two teams will play a five-match Test series. Who will lead there? Such is the question in the country’s cricket now.
When Rohit was the captain, the vice-captaincy was on the shoulders of Jasprit Bumrah. He also led the team in two Tests against Australia in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But there are doubts about making him the captain for the England tour.
Bumrah played in all five Tests during the Australia tour. The Indian pacer got injured due to the extra workload. Therefore, the BCCI does not want to take extra risks in England. The plan is not to play Bumrah in all the matches. That is why the board may decide not to make him the captain for now.
Shubman Gill is the most talked about. He is considered the future captain of the Indian team. He was Rohit’s deputy in ODI cricket. Shubman used to play at number three in Tests. With Rohit’s retirement, there is now a vacancy in the opening. That place can be returned to Gill. If this 25-year-old batter is made the captain, the board can be confident for the next 8-10 years. Thinking about the future, they can give Shubman the responsibility.
Shubman is in form in this IPL. He has scored over 500 runs in 11 matches. Shubman also has experience of leading Gujarat Titans in IPL. The board gave importance to Gautam Gambhir’s experience of winning the IPL as a mentor to Kolkata Knight Riders while making him the coach of the Indian team. Therefore, there is no reason not to give importance to the IPL experience when making Shubman the Test captain.
Shubman has played 32 Tests so far. He has scored 1893 runs. He has also scored five centuries in Tests. Shubman, who has played 61 matches in first-class cricket, is also quite experienced as a batter. His ability to handle additional responsibility has been proven in the IPL. He has the ability to manage matches with a cool head. Therefore, the board can give the responsibility to the young Shubman.
The names of Rishabh Pant and Lokesh Rahul are also being heard in many places in the race to become the Test captain. But Pant is not in form at all. The board will not take the risk of giving the responsibility of the Test team to him at such a time. Rahul has avoided the responsibility of leading the team in the IPL. There is also a question whether he wants to captain the Indian team or not.
The board has no other option but to make Shubman the captain. So it will not be surprising to see the Indian team playing under the leadership of Shubman in England.