We asked Google AI who should be India’s next Test captain; it gave us 3 options
Team India’s hunt for ICC silverware continued as they went down to Australia by 209 runs in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. The Aussies did go into the summit clash as favorites. However, India were expected to be no pushovers. Rohit Sharma and co., though, disappointed big time.
India got lucky with the toss and bowled first under overcast conditions. However, they could not utilize the advantage and allowed Australia to recover from 76/3 to post an impressive total of 469 runs. Their batting then crumbled in both innings as India managed only 296 and 234.
Team India skipper Rohit has been under fire ever since the team's loss in the WTC final. He failed to lead from the front and was dismissed for 15 and 43, respectively. Barring a hundred, Rohit had a disappointing Test series against Australia as well earlier in the year.
With the next WTC final to be held in 2025, there are doubts over whether Rohit will be still around if India reach the summit clash again and complete a hat-trick of appearances.
The debate has thus begun over who should be India’s next Test captain. We asked Google AI (Bard) for its views and it came up with three options.
According to Google AI, young opener Shubman Gill is one of the contenders to take over from Rohit as Test captain. About Gill, Bard wrote:
“Gill is another young and talented player who has a bright future ahead of him. He is a technically correct batsman who has a good temperament, and he has also shown leadership qualities in his short career. Gill would be a safe and steady choice to lead India in Test cricket.”
Google AI also pitched former vice-captain KL Rahul’s name and commented:
“Rahul is a very experienced player who has been around the Indian team for a few years now. He is a very good batsman who can score runs in all conditions, and he is also a very good fielder. Rahul has captained Karnataka in domestic cricket and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League. He would be a very experienced and reliable choice to lead India in Test cricket.”
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While keeper-batter Rishabh Pant is currently out of action due to the car accident he was involved in last year, Google AI expressed confidence that the dashing big-hitter could also be an exciting choice to lead India in red-ball cricket.
Bard wrote:
“Pant is a young and exciting wicketkeeper-batsman who has already shown great leadership qualities in his short career. He has captained Delhi in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, and he has also led India in a few matches.
“Pant is a very aggressive batsman who loves to take on the opposition, and he is also a very good thinker about the game. He would be a very exciting choice to lead India in Test cricket,” it added.
Concluding its thoughts on the much-debated topic, Google AI opined:
“Ultimately, the decision of who should be India's next Test captain will be up to the selectors. However, these three players are all strong contenders for the role.”
Rohit Sharma’s record as Test captain
Rohit, 36, has led India in seven Tests so far of which they have won four and lost two, while one match ended in a draw. The batter’s stint as captain began with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka at home in March 2022.
India then won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 by a 2-1 margin but went down to Australia in the WTC final.
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As a batter, Rohit has scored 390 runs in the seven Tests, averaging 35.45 with one hundred.