Shubman Gill to take charge in whites | Pant named Gill’s deputy - Unfit Shami out of England tour

Young Turks Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant were named as captain and vice-captain of the Indian Test cricket team on Saturday. In the aftermath of two big retirements – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – the BCCI think-tank had to think hard before naming the next set of leaders who could be given charge. The obvious choice as captain would have been Jasprit Bumrah, but the iconic speedster is not even sure if he will play more than three Tests out of five in an arduous tour of England, commencing in June.

When India toured Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy Series, in 2024/2025 results were disastrous. Even though Bumrah had led by example and earned praise from the global fraternity, his back packed up. He had to take a four-month break before coming back to action in the Indian Premier League. However, at 31, Bumrah is not the same as before and indicated a leadership role for him was unacceptable. To be sure, Gill is not an obvious choice. He is in good nick and he is a sound batter. At 25 years and 258 days of age, he became the fifth youngest cricketer to lead India in Test cricket. Prior to this, Mansur AIi Khan Pataudi (21 years and 77 days), Sachin Tendulkar (23 years and 169 days), Kapil Dev (24 years and 48 days and Ravi Shastri (25 years and 229 days) were the younger captains.

Gill was not even vice-captain in Tests, as that role was assigned to a few other cricketers. Indian cricket is in transition and the need to find a new leader saw Gill being propped up. It is surprising why Rishabh Pant, senior to Gill and with a proven track record better than Gill was not chosen skipper. Since the time Gautam Gambhir took over as coach, there have been changes. Obviously, Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, had discussed and then shared the blueprint with the BCCI.

For those who think Indian cricket is blessed with talent and there are many cricketers who can be counted upon, that applies to ODIs and T20 internationals.

For Test cricket, there was a need to infuse fresh blood but to do away with a whole generation of players – Virat, Rohit, R.Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane -- is weird. If age is a deterring factor, then how does Karun Nair make a comeback at the age of 33 into the Test team.

Rahane has been treated shabbily despite good performances in domestic cricket. He and Pujara are typical hard Test batters but the BCCI thinks they have to look ahead. There is no way a player can be ignored just because of age, unless there is a fitness issue. Karun Nair has been a dour cricketer and scored heavy runs in first class cricket. However, the same yardstick has not been used for Shreyas Iyer, who has been a standout in the IPL and also the last domestic cricket season.

If the BCCI thinks Gill has potential, it is good. But then, what is the certainty Gill can deliver in testing conditions which are expected in England.

His runs in Australia were average, so he has to first prove himself as a batter. Look at the way Sarfaraz Khan has been thrown into the dustbin. One has to invest in Test cricketers, that is how India had durable captains like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Karun Nair last played a Test in 2017, so he has been brought out of the cold storage. Why could not the same rule apply for others is a question which has not been answered. There are overseas cricketers who have played Test cricket till almost 40. So, this fetish for youth in Test cricket is a bit weird. Sadly, the BCCI will not accept they treated the exits of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shabbily.

For someone like swing bowler Mohd Shami, it is the end of the road. He has not been picked as his fitness is poor and post an Achilles Heel injury, he is not the same. At the same time, for Shardul Thakur to make a comeback is good as he, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh will have to bolster the pace attack.

There is no clarity who will bat where in the new 16 named. All these questions will be answered in England and also other away Test tours in 2025 and 2026.

Many talented batters like Sai Sudharsan are also breaking into the Test squad. Fans must realise Test cricket is very special and not like ODIs or T20. Transition will not be easy.