Rohit Sharma is set to continue as the India cricket team’s Test captain. At least until England. But he isn’t a long-term option. Neither his form has been great nor is age on his side. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has to find his successor.
Considering Rohit had to drop himself in Australia, it would be right to find someone already. Who knows if he even lasts the entire England tour? Jasprit Bumrah has been Rohit’s deputy for some time now. And ideally, would replace him. But that might not be the case.
Reports suggest that BCCI isn’t keen on continuing with Bumrah as Team India’s Test vice-captain. They fear his fitness won’t allow him to feature in all 5 matches. Because he did it in Australia, and it resulted in a 4-month-long injury. So, they must look elsewhere.
Candidates to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain
Two options emerge: Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill. One of them will be deputy to Rohit in England and then perhaps his replacement. Both have been part of Team India’s Test team for 7 and 5 years, respectively. Both have been seen as leadership prospects ever since they made their debut.
Pant was Team India’s vice-captain in Test cricket before his accident, while Gill is the current vice-captain in ODI and T20I cricket. There are only a handful of players who have a confirmed spot in the Test team, and both of them fall in this category. Neither has actually captained Team India in Tests, and since they were selected for international cricket, they don’t really have a captaincy record in first-class cricket.
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill: First-class captaincy record
| Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Win % | |
| Rishabh Pant | 2017-18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40 |
| Shubman Gill | 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
IPL captaincy: Hits and misses
But both are captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant has led Delhi Capitals before and now leads Lucknow Super Giants, while Gill has been the man in charge of Gujarat Titans since 2024. Their batting is what makes them important, but one can’t make someone captain without acumen to lead, being a good tactician and the ability to handle that pressure.
Pant started leading in 2021 and took the Capitals to the IPL playoffs that year itself. But failed to do so in 2022 and 2024. And it doesn’t look like he’ll take Lucknow to the final four in 2025. Gill, meanwhile, took over from Hardik Pandya in 2024 and stumbled. But he’s on track. From a tactical point of view, both have been misses and hits.
In several matches, Pant didn’t pick Badoni in the starting XI despite him being up as one of his batters. He often used him as an impact substitute, which didn’t make sense. He persisted with Akash Deep for 4 matches despite horrible returns when Akash Singh was available.
For Gill, it doesn’t make sense why he doesn’t pick Washington Sundar often. When he does, he often doesn’t bowl. Sai Kishore plays every match but doesn’t bowl due to matchups, despite showing he’s been better than Rashid Khan in IPL 2025. In almost all matches, Gujarat haven’t fielded 1 foreign player. Why? No one understands.
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill: IPL captaincy record & batting stats
| Span | Matches | Won | Win% | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 2021-2025 | 54 | 28 | 51.85 | 1333 | 30.29 | 137.99 |
| Shubman Gill | 2024-2025 | 22 | 12 | 54.54 | 891 | 44.55 | 154.68 |
But now, let’s come to the most important part. That’s batting. Yes, Pant has a better view of the game being the wicketkeeper, but the reason why he was picked initially over Wriddhiman Saha was his batting. But his returns haven’t been great. Since returning to Test cricket in 2024, Pant averages 37.61. That’s fine, one guesses.
But against Australia in Australia, he scored just 1 fifty in 9 innings, amassing just 255 runs at 28.33. That’s not good. Especially considering that Australia has been one of the best places for him to bat. And his performance hasn’t been just bad in Tests. He failed in the T20 World Cup 2024 and might be having the worst IPL season for someone of his calibre.
Shubman Gill over Rishabh Pant, for Pant’s own good
During a time when he’s failing as a batter, the captaincy seems to be a burden on him. You see how often he’s been agitated on the field as Lucknow’s captain. That’s something that’s uncharacteristic for Pant. Usually, he’s got a smile on his face and is joking around; that isn’t happening. It doesn’t seem like the right idea to hand him the vice-captaincy of India’s Test team right now.
Coming to Gill, his record hasn’t been great either in Test cricket. His performance was worse than Pant’s in the same time frame. He averages 33.41, although while batting at number three. Australia happens to be one of his best countries to play in as well. Yet, he averaged just 18.60 despite looking in good rhythm.
However, he has an advantage. As seen above, Gill has an exceptional record as an IPL captain. He trumps Pant not just when it comes to average but also strike rate. Yes, T20 isn’t the parameter for judging Test cricket, but Gill seems to be thrilling in a leadership role. He did well as ODI vice-captain in the Champions Trophy 2025 as well.
There is no doubt, out of them Pant has had a better Test career. But Gill is two years younger and seems to be near his peak. That doesn’t seem to be the case for Pant. He’s in career-worst form. Making him the vice-captain might not just be bad for Team India but also for Pant. The last thing you want is to drop him, which can further shatter his confidence.
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