Shubman Gill will begin his Test captaincy stint with the tour of England next month.
Shubman Gill has been handed the Test captaincy as India embark on a new World Test Championship cycle with the England tour, starting on June 20 in Leeds.
India’s Test captaincy post was vacant after Rohit Sharma’s sudden retirement from the longest format earlier this month.
Even though Jasprit Bumrah had led India in a couple of Test matches in Rohit’s absence during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, the selectors put their faith on Gill for the leadership role with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as his deputy.
Ex-India batting coach Sanjay Bangar and former opener Aakash Chopra weighed in on Shubman’s appointment as Test skipper.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Bangar said it a rare opportunity for Gill to shape a team in transition after recent retirements of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
“The selectors have chosen a long-term captain at a time when the team is entering a rebuilding phase. It gives him a rare opportunity to establish himself without constantly looking over his shoulder. In Indian cricket, it’s uncommon for someone with limited experience to be given the captaincy,” Bangar stated.
“Since 2000, captains like Dravid, Kumble, Dhoni, Virat, and Rohit had played many matches before taking over. Probably only Tiger Pataudi had less experience, and now he becomes the second-youngest in terms of matches played. Best wishes to him for a successful stint,” he added.
Since making his Test debut in 2020, Gill has played 32 matches, scoring 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. However, his numbers aren’t quite impressive in overseas conditions.
So far, the classy right-hander has amassed 559 runs in 13 Tests across SENA countries and the West Indies, averaging just 25 with only two half-centuries in 24 innings.
Chopra mentioned that the decision to name Gill the new captain despite not having a good batting average is a leap of faith shown by the selectors.
“If this were ODI cricket, the decision would be easier—he’s been vice-captain for a while and the transition was expected. But in Tests, he’s still finding his place, especially overseas, where his average is around 25. That’s not ideal for a batter, let alone a captain. This move reflects an investment of faith based on potential,” Chopra told ESPNcricinfo.
“We’ve seen something similar with Shubman Gill, who was given the choice to move from opening to No. 3 after just 15 Tests—a decision that felt unusual, as such calls are typically made by team management. He might even bat at No. 4 in the future. The key now is for him to score heavily, especially in this WTC cycle and particularly in the five-Test series in England. If he does that, the focus will shift from his overseas average to his leadership qualities, which is how it should be for a Test captain,” he added.
“Shubman Gill will need to create his own captaincy template—one that suits Indian cricket and reflects his personality. He doesn’t need to follow Virat Kohli’s approach of playing five bowlers or opting for turning tracks at home to chase wins. I believe Shubman might prefer more balanced, batter-friendly pitches where victories have to be earned, not handed. Dominating home series won’t be as easy anymore. While captaincy seems to be sitting well with him, the bigger concern is his batting. If that falls into place, everything else is likely to follow,” he further remarked.
India Squad for England Tests: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.