India are seemingly moving swiftly towards heralding a new era in Test cricket with Rohit Sharma and potentially Virat Kohli moving out of the picture. India’s Test squad for the England series is scheduled to be announced next week, with the BCCI set to unveil the new captain officially.
Shubman Gill is likely to take over the reins of the Indian Test team, following Rohit Sharma‘s retirement from the format on May 7 through social media. Gill has emerged as the top contender as BCCI is unsure of handing Jasprit Bumrah the charge, who might not play all the Test matches, given the workload concerns, especially since he was coming off a three-month break from a back stress he sustained during the Sydney Test and hence, Gill is set to be unveiled as the new captain with Rishabh Pant being his deputy.
“If Bumrah isn’t the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI. Bumrah has been the designated vice-captain of the Test team after Rohit took over and even led India in a few Tests in the veteran’s absence. Naturally, Bumrah would have been the successor, but his injury concerns, it seems, have pipped Gill ahead of him.
As Rohit announced his retirement, it seems that another senior pro on the side, Virat Kohli, is also heading towards the sunset in red-ball cricket. Several reports emerged stating that Kohli has communicated to the BCCI about his intentions to retire from the format, but the board has urged him to reconsider his options.
A couple of reports also stated that Kohli might have been in the running for taking back the captaincy again, despite his poor returns in Test cricket in the last two series.
“It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series. This would have given Gill some time to grow into the leadership role, but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah’s fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar’s committee,” a BCCI source privy to development told PTI.
KL Rahul was another name doing the rounds for potential captaincy choice, but since he is already 33-plus and his consistency issues didn’t let the BCCI go in that direction. However, Rahul is likely to become the designated opener for India in Tests alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal during the upcoming WTC cycle as India prepare for life after Rohit and Kohli.
