First they said, Rohit Sharma won’t go to England for the Test series altogether, then they claimed he might go, which eventually became, he would go as the captain. As the Indian Test team does not have an alternate to the 38-year-old, at least on immediate basis. But now as it turns out, Rohit has announced his retirement, a month before the start of the series, on June 20.
Now a youngster in Team India would get the opportunity. And maintaining the surprise, who will be that next-in-line Test captain for Team India? Will it be Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, or some out-of-box choice? Yes, there is a Virat Kohli too, but after relinquishing the captaincy a few years back, he isn’t coming back.
Jasprit Bumrah led India in Rohit Sharma’s absence and was good… but is too fragile, and too important a player to be burdened with this responsibility full time. And that, for all practical purposes leaves us with Gill and Pant. Let’s start with the southpaw.
Rishabh Pant — The Current Situation
- Hasn’t led India in Tests
- Currently Leading LSG in IPL 2025
- Team has won only 5 from 11 played
- Overall in 54 matches as captain, has won 28 and lost 25
- Going through poor form; scored 128 runs in 11 matches
- Still One of the most consistent Test batters for IND, in senior leadership group
Shubman Gill – Where he Scores
- Leading GT in IPL 2025
- GT on top of points table
- Batting exceptionally, 508 runs in 11 matches
- IF Virat Kohli is King, he is hailed as Prince
- Looked as de facto successor of Rohit Sharma
While there is no real concrete reason to pick one, and leave out the other one, it seems that Shubman will still get the role. For long, experts have seen him as the natural successor to Test captaincy, with a few reports only furthering the argument. But what doesn’t really sit well with this decision is, he hasn’t been the best performer.
In 32 Tests, he has only 1893 runs at an average of 35. But then, that said, he has been brilliant in ODIs, and was elevated to the position of vice-captain, before the Champions Trophy.
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