3 reasons why Shubman Gill as India's Test captain ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 series is the right move
Ace batter Shubman Gill has been named Team India skipper, taking over from Rohit Sharma ahead of the crucial five-match away series against England. After much deliberation and assessment of the choices on offer, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose to go with the 25-year-old as the new leader.
Chief selector confirmed Shubman Gill as the new Test captain while announcing the squad for the England tour in Mumbai on Saturday, May 24.
“We discussed every option that’s there, over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there’s been improvement. We’re hopeful he’s the guy. He’s a terrific player, our best wishes to him,” Agarkar said during the press conference (via First Post).
“You don’t pick captains for one tour or two tours. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it’s going to be as tough as it gets," he added.
On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why Shubman Gill as India's Test captain ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 series is the right move.
#1 Shubman Gill has shown early promise
Gill's rise to leadership was on the cards, considering that he has been groomed for quite a while for this particular task. Oftentimes, he had been named as the vice-captain of the side despite other prominent senior members present. He also had a taste of leading at the international level when a second-string Indian side toured Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series.
Including the aforementioned tour, Gill's captaincy endeavors, like the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Duleep Trophy, have had a lot of positives and promises. More often than not, he has been tactically astute, utilised the resources available to him in a relatively justified manner, and has earned the respect of his teammates and the support staff.
#2 Shubman Gill's appointment is a massive statement and aligns with Team India's new era
The Indian red-ball team's transition was inevitable, but the timing of events caught India a bit unaware. R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli retiring in the space of three Tests, technically speaking, has forced the management to catalyse the leadership shift, among other major decisions.
The retirement of three major names leaves India with no choice but to embrace some new names to the side, and elevate a few that have been playing the supporting act. Since captaincy was one of the roles that needed to be filled, India were not short of options.
The names of Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul, were all recommended by someone or the other during the lead-up to the announcement. However, considering where Indian cricket is at the moment, and the timing, Gill emerges as the leading choice as he ticks more boxes than the other candidates.
#3 Leadership responsibilities could be the fix to his meagre batting returns
A massive factor weighing down Shubman Gill's captaincy candidature was his diminishing batting returns, and his credentials as a starting member of the side. Several felt that the additional responsibility could further hurt his case as an evolving batter.
However, the opposite could just as easily be true, The added duty of leading from the front, and knowing that his runs are more valuable than ever, especially with no more Rohit and Virat around, might be the spark that he needs to revive his Test career.
There are a lot of cases where captaincy brought out the best in a player's primary role, like Kohli, who scored at an average of 54.80. The same goes for Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. It is no coincidence that their peaks aligned at the time they were captain.
There are cases to suggest otherwise as well, where captaincy took a toll on the batting numbers, but Gill is not destined for that route.