The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce Rohit Sharma’s replacement as the new India cricket team Test captain on May 23. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had stated that India’s squad for the England Test series will be out by May 20, but it seems like that plan has changed.
New captain & India’s Test squad, out soon
According to Cribuzz, the BCCI will hold a press conference where the new India Test captain will be announced along with the squad for England. A reason why the date has been pushed back a couple of days could be the fact that Virat Kohli has allegedly told the BCCI that he wishes to retire from Test cricket.
Right now, the BCCI are trying to convince Kohli to change his decision. Will the former India captain take a U-turn? That time will tell. But this bombshell news is likely the reason why India’s squad for the England Test series will be out on May 23 instead of May 20.
Shubman Gill set to replace Rohit Sharma
Even before Rohit Sharma retired, there were reports that BCCI aren’t keen on having Jasprit Bumrah in a leadership role. Mind you, he was India’s vice-captain in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But the fact that Bumrah may push himself to the limit as captain and potentially get injured has forced the BCCI to look elsewhere.
There are two potential options: Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill. The former hasn’t been in the best of form since his return to international cricket. Moreover, his leadership as Lucknow Super Giants captain has been questionable. The latter, meanwhile, is India’s vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. And he’s leading the Gujarat Titans splendidly.
Gill’s two years younger than Pant and just about to hit his prime. His performance in Test cricket hasn’t been great, but he has long been identified as a potential India captain. It won’t be a shock if Gill is named India’s new Test captain when the BCCI announces the squad for England.
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