Shubman Gill takes charge of a squad that includes debutant Sai Sudharsan, returning batter Karun Nair, back in the national setup after a long gap, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to confirm his opening partner for the series
Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill (Pic: AFP)
The much-awaited England series is now just two days away, and Shubman Gill is all set to take on his new assignment.
After the unexpected Test retirement of Rohit Sharma, Team India’s management appointed Gill as their new red-ball captain. Since the announcement, the 25-year-old has received mixed reactions from former cricketers.
Recently, Dinesh Karthik remarked that Gill is yet to fully grasp the enormity of what it takes to lead India in Test cricket. Meanwhile, several other players have extended their best wishes to the Fazilka-born cricketer.
Over the years, Gill has demonstrated leadership ability in white-ball cricket, both in the IPL and while captaining India in the shorter formats, achieving a fair degree of success.
Though matching the feats of former skippers MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma in Test cricket may seem like a distant goal, Gill is expected to lead the side competently in the years to come.
It would be unfair to compare Gill with the legendary MS Dhoni in terms of captaincy. Dhoni, during his tenure, led a team filled with established stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane.
In contrast, Gill takes charge of a squad that includes debutant Sai Sudharsan, returning batter Karun Nair, back in the national setup after a long gap, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to confirm his opening partner for the series.
Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be available for three of the five Tests, with workload management preventing him from playing consecutive matches.
Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up after an impressive IPL 2025 campaign. Nair, with prior experience in English conditions, is expected to to bring his A-game to cement his place in the side.
Given these dynamics, Gill’s India will be up against an England side led by Ben Stokes, currently ranked the top all-rounder in Test cricket. Since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach, the English team has embraced the aggressive ‘Bazball’ philosophy. To add to India’s challenge, Joe Root is in red-hot form and will be chasing multiple records during the series.
The five-match Test series is set to begin on June 20 at the Yorkshire Cricket Ground.
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