New Delhi: As India rebuilds itself ahead of the Test series against England after the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the big question is—who will lead the Indian side?
Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are favourites on social media, while cricket pundits and experts are backing K.L. Rahul for the role.
The England tour, set to begin on June 20, also kicks off the new World Test Championship cycle. Apart from choosing a new skipper, the management must also find replacements for two crucial positions previously held by Sharma and Kohli—the opener and the number 4 spot.
“Rahul and Gill are two contenders for leading the Indian Test side,” said cricket expert Manuja Veerappa. Drawing comparisons between the two, she noted Gill has captained India in a five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe last year. At 25, he is a long-term investment. Although he has led Punjab in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans in the IPL, he lacks experience but is a leader in the making.
K.L. Rahul, on the other hand, is seasoned and cool-headed.
“He is committed to his craft. Although his career has been chequered with injury concerns, because of his experience and leadership abilities, he tops my list. He has led India in multiple formats and he thrives under responsibility and pressure,” said Veerappa.
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Gill vs Bumrah vs Rahul
Independent cricket writer R. Kaushik, with more than three decades of experience, agrees with Veerappa.
“Rahul is an experienced player. He has been around for 10 years. He has played around 60 Test matches. He has captained all formats. If now, at 33, we cannot get the best out of him, then not sure when we will,” he said.
Kaushik said that at this stage, it wasn’t essential to pick a skipper who could serve for the next 10 years.
Even if Rahul, whom Kaushik describes as a “good technician and tactician”, can lead for three to four years, it would give enough grooming time to Gill and Rishabh Pant, who, according to him, are two front-runners for captaincy in the near future.
As of now, the two aren’t ready to take on the Test captaincy. “He (Gill) hasn’t had a great record outside the sub-continent in Test cricket at least,” he said.
But cricket expert Sharda Ugra thinks the batter will surely be given a chance in England.
“The England series will be more like a pilot test to see how the team has shaped up under Gill. It could be a try-out. And, the management selectors don’t change skippers rapidly. They will give him a couple of series to showcase his abilities,” Ugra said.
“Because he has managed to convey a physical confidence in a fast bowler as captain, not just with his leadership and his bowling but also with the fitness.”
On the other hand, Ugra said that Pant was seen as a frontrunner for the captaincy till a while ago, but his ongoing IPL stint as the skipper of Lucknow Super Giants hasn’t been great.
“That said, IPL should never be taken as a metric for Test cricket decisions,” she added quickly.
Meanwhile, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah has former cricketer Madan Lal’s vote.
Lal noted Bumrah’s stand-out performance across formats as the biggest reason to hand over the responsibility of captaincy to him. “He has the respect of the dressing room.”
According to Lal, it’s only fair to give Bumrah the captaincy because he’s the vice-captain and has stepped up as the skipper when needed.
“Or else, he will naturally feel bad and it might impact the atmosphere of the dressing room,” he added.
But Manuja and Ugra don’t think Bumrah will make the captaincy cut purely because of the pacer’s workload management.
“Will he be able to play for five Test matches in the English summer? I don’t think so,” Manuja remarked.
Meanwhile, Ugra pulled out the example of Australian pacer and skipper Pat Cummins.
Just like Bumrah, Cummins is also a fast bowler and has been leading his side rather comfortably.
“Because he has managed to show physical confidence not just with the bowling but also with fitness,” the cricket expert said.
Who will make it to the playing XI?
Ugra doesn’t think finding replacements for Sharma and Kohli is much of a task. Hinting at Rahul and Yashisvi Jaiswal’s opening partnership in Australia, she said: “They have some answers right there.”
Madan Lal has also extended support to their opening partnership.
“We know what Rahul is capable of. And Jaiswal has shown some class as a Test cricketer. He is surely the best candidate at this moment,” he said, picking Gill to fill up the number 3 slot.
Manuja and Kaushik back Rahul’s promotion in the batting order.
“He has opened the innings and has had a successful run in the position. His adaptability is his strength,” Manuja noted.
For the second slot, the cricket expert lists names of domestic cricket stars Sai Sudarsan, Rituraj Gaikwad and Abhimanyu Eashwaran.
“They could get a look in,” she said, emphasising their performance in the ongoing IPL season.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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