New Delhi: Shubman Gill is reportedly all set to take over as the new captain of the Indian team in Tests, with Rishabh Pant serving as his deputy. Gill was the favourite to lead India in the upcoming Test series against England, and his appointment was imminent after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Tests earlier this week.
Though India had a strong contender in Jasprit Bumrah to lead the team in the longest format, the decision to hand over the leadership role to Gill was taken, keeping the future in mind. Gill is already India’s designated vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is and has been a vital cog in the Test batting line-up.
As per a report in PTI, the decision to hand over vice-captaincy to Pant was a straightforward one, as the wicket-keeper batter has been one of the most consistent performers for India in Tests in the last few years. Pant has 2948 runs to his name in 48 Tests at an average of over 42, including six centuries and 15 fifties.
The team management was not keen on having Jasprit Bumrah as captain, as they felt there was no point of having the senior pacer as the deputy if he is not captaining the team. “If Bumrah isn’t the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.
KL Rahul not an option for captaincy
The report also claimed that senior batter KL Rahul was not considered for captaincy as he is already 33 and hasn’t been among the most consistent batters despite having been part of the Test setup for nearly ten years now. Rahul, who did well for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, has 3257 runs to his name in 58 Tests at an average of over 33, including 8 centuries and 17 fifties.
Though consistency has also been an issue with Gill in Tests, the team management is convinced he can be moulded into a leader for the future, given his credentials in all three formats of the game. India are set to play five Tests against England, starting June 20.
Shubman Gill is likely to take over as captain of the Indian Test team for the upcoming series against England in June. Rishabh Pant might be appointed as his deputy. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
