India’s top batsman Shubman Gill did not have a great series with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 25-year-old failed to score big in the series which has now raised questions over his place in the Test team.
Gill’s poor form has raised questions about his ability to take over as captain of the team after Rohit Sharma. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recently talked about two players who could replace Rohit Sharma as the next India captain and Gill was not on his list.
Chopra named Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant as two players who could captain India in the future due to their consistent performances over the past few years. He also revealed the reason why Gill was no longer considered for the role.
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Shubman Gill ignored as India’s next captain
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra predicted that one of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant will become India’s captain after Rohit Sharma. He also mentioned the name of Jasprit Bumrah, but feels that his injury problems are not keeping him in a good position for the role of captain.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant – who among the two can become the captain? It’s a nice question because, according to sources, Rohit (Sharma) has said that he will lead the team for a few months, but after that, you (BCCI) can find whoever you want. , and since there could be an injury problem with (Jasprit) Bumrah, that’s your wish,” Chopra said.
Chopra also has a short-term solution where he wants Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in the Test series against England in June, but wants the selectors to appoint a vice-captain to prepare him for the future.
“I had a solution that we should see after six months. If Jasprit Bumrah is to captain the whole tour of England, get the vice-captain right because you have to groom him. Let’s be very honest, when we won the T20 World Cup, it seemed like the grooming process was going very good,” he remarked.
Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill’s demotion from the leadership group
While speaking further on his channel, Aakash Chopra revealed the reason behind Shubman Gill’s demotion from the leading group. Chopra also noted that the Indian team management tried to promote Gill by giving him chances in the leading group, but his performances deteriorated over time.
“Everything looked fine. Shubman Gill was made vice-captain. He was given that role on a regular basis and then suddenly Shubman Gill was dropped. So the pressure was put on him as to what was going on because he was potentially not going to make the captaincy. he thinks at all it doesn’t come in the T20 format,” Chopra explained.
A few months earlier, things were looking good for Shubman Gill. He was seen as India’s next captain after Rohit Sharma and was even named vice-captain for the ODI series in Sri Lanka.
Gill also led the team in the T20I series against Zimbabwe when standing captain Suryakumar Yadav was rested. However, a sudden dip in form in Tests has raised questions about his place in the red-ball.
Shubman Gill in BGT 2024-25
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shubman Gill scored 93 runs in three Tests at an average of 18.60. He missed the first trial due to an injury before the series. However, he returned to his coveted No. 3 spot in the second match.
But he did not look his best and struggled with the moving ball against a quality Australian bowling attack. Gill was later dropped from the final Test in Sydney due to a team combination as India opted for two bowling all-rounders.
