In what signals the start of a huge transitional phase in Indian Test cricket, the BCCI selectors appointed Shubman Gill as the new Test captain of the men’s team ahead of their upcoming series in England next month. Gill takes over from Rohit Sharma following his retirement from Test cricket earlier this month, and with the exits of Ravichandran Ashwin before that and Virat Kohli soon after Rohit, the 25-year-old has the unenviable task of leading India’s Test team in what is arguably their biggest challenge since Sourav Ganguly was named captain post the match-fixing scandal of 2000.
In announcing Gill as the new captain, chief of selectors Ajit Agarkar outlined the mitigating factors and why Jasprit Bumrah was not locked in. According to the selectors, there are valid concerns over Bumrah’s workload and doubts whether he will play all five Tests in England.
The BCCI want someone who will be around for at least five years, which means two World Test Championship cycles. The best candidate, they felt, was Gill. It has been a polarizing decision, understandably, with several former India cricketers questioning why Bumrah was not given the job after leading in three prior Test matches and being India’s most prized asset.
Gill is far from the finished product in Test cricket, and not too long ago there were questions over his place in the side. He has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Test matches since debuting in Australia in December 2020, of which approximately 62 per cent have been scored in India. Gill’s batting average in SENA countries sits at 25.70 from 11 Tests, with two fifties from 21 innings.
In 2023, he was moved down from the opener’s role to No 3, from where he has scored 972 runs in 29 innings for an average of 37.38 with three centuries and three half-centuries.
Beyond the numbers and lack of captaincy experience – Gill led India in five T20Is last year and is in his second season in charge of Gujarat Titans in the IPL – the BCCI selectors have based their decision on a the 25-year-old’s status within the dressing room, plenty of feedback from those who have played with and coached Gill and a bit of a hunch.
“Over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well,” Agarkar told reporters during a press conference on May 24. “He’s very young but we’ve seen the improvement. I know its T20 cricket for GT as well, but you take feedback from a lot of people. We are hopeful that he’s the guy. It’s always going to be a high-pressure job, like it always is, but we are hopeful that we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player.”
There is a lot riding on Gill, and listening to Agarkar you get the feeling that there indeed a lot of hope more than sound reasoning in the decision. Gill is India’s ODI vice-captain and during the ICC Champions Trophy, Rohit twice found himself answering questions about why Gill was elevated to the position. Much like when Kohli was picked to lead India in Tests, it was about what the future held in terms of blockbuster ODI player.
Gill is India’s most successful ODI batsman of the last five years, scoring 2759 runs at 61.31 and a strike-rate of 100.14, with eight centuries. He remains on the periphery of the T20I side, and still to wholly convince in Tests, but the men who matter clearly see potential as a leader.
Having spent time under Kohli and Rohit, Gill will hopefully have imbibed some of the steeliness needed to be a success in the toughest job in world cricket. He has spoken since his appointment as Test captain about separating the roles of being a batsman and captain, specifically talking about the need to focus on the former when at the crease. He has a very tough road ahead, which starts with figuring out a new Test batting order and spin attack post the retirements of Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin, as well as how to shape a potent pace bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets when not always guaranteed to have Bumrah around.
The most seismic shift in Indian Test cricket since Ganguly took over 25 years ago has begun, and from June 20 when the series in England starts, every move that Gill makes will be scrutinized. This is a chance to shape a legacy, outrageously difficult as it may be, and thus it is Gill’s stiffest test as a cricketer.
