Shubman Gill to Succeed Rohit Sharma as India's Next Test Captain

As India embarks on a five-Test series against England, beginning on June 20 at Headingley, Shubman Gill has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Rohit Sharma as the team's full-time Test captain.

Gill's rise has become inevitable since it became clear that Jasprit Bumrah, who led the team in the two Tests Rohit missed and served as vice-captain of the Test team during India's Test tour of Australia, would probably miss a few Tests in the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle due to workload management.

Later this month, the selection panel, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, is anticipated to select the team. Since this series marks the beginning of India's second World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, it is known that the selectors are looking for a skipper with a long-term perspective, making 25-year-old Gill the ideal choice.

After India won the previous T20 World Cup, Gill was selected as captain of a squad that was shorthanded in numerous first-choice players. Gill has led the team in five T20Is, although he has never captained in Test matches or ODIs. This occurred during a tour of Zimbabwe in mid-2024. For India, Gill serves as the official vice-captain in both white-ball formats.

Since his debut in Melbourne in December 2020, when he struck 45 and 35 not out against a full-strength Australian bowling attack in a Test India victory by eight wickets, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, Gill has been a consistent member of the India Test side. In his 32 Test matches, he has amassed 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05, with five centuries and seven half-centuries.