The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has put its faith in Shubman Gill. Earmarked as a future leader from an early age, the board has decided that at the age of 26, Gill is an apt replacement for Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain.
Right or wrong, this is whom the BCCI has picked. There were a few options, with Jasprit Bumrah being the outright favourite of most. But Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul also got some shouts. In the end, Pant was considered and handed the role of vice-captain, while the senior-most players were neglected.
Recently, Monty Panesar spoke exclusively to InsideSport, where he shared his feelings about BCCI’s decision to appoint Gill as India’s Test captain.
Why BCCI went with Shubman Gill
Panesar thinks that the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit took the BCCI on a different route. They decided to start fresh. Gill would be the face of a new-age Test team in Indian cricket, much like Kohli was. One can’t forget, he was 26 like Gill when named Test captain.
“What BCCI has done, they have said, ‘We want a fresh new team.’ Bring in youngsters; we want a young captain and to build a new Indian team. With that in mind, they have gone with Shubman Gill,” Panesar told InsideSport.
Bumrah might have been a better choice
But the former English spinner thinks that Bumrah might have been the right choice. Mind you, the pacer was captain in India’s last Test match in Sydney. And it has made sense. Panesar thinks that Gill should have been Bumrah’s understudy. At this time, he would have worked out his batting, which hasn’t been great in Test cricket. And then, when he would have taken over eventually, he would have blossomed as a red-ball player.
“I think, maybe, they should have gone with Jasprit Bumrah because he is still India’s best bowler and Test player. It takes pressure off Gill. He’s averaging 36 (with the bat) at the moment but I think he should average 45 to 50 with the kind of talent he has,” the spinner added.
Can Gill go the Kohli way?
But now the deed is done. And Panesar thinks that BCCI will hope Gill goes the Kohli way. The recently retired number four became one of the best batters in Test cricket during his captaincy era. He scored more than 60% of his total runs when he was captain and averaged a whopping 54.80. His end average was just 46.85. You can see the difference. And the board hopes Gill does that as well.
“It can go either way. It could mean that you give responsibility to Gill, and you see the best of his batting like we saw the best of Virat Kohli. When he was the captain of India, he batted even better. I think that’s what the Indian selectors are hoping—that we see Gill bat better with responsibility on his hands,” said Panesar.
The post BCCI should’ve gone with Jasprit Bumrah over Shubman Gill as India Test captain, says Monty Panesar appeared first on Inside Sport India.