From being the vice-captain of the Indian team, Shubman Gill has become just a squad player. The top-order batsman has no place in the Indian T20I team and is also not a certainty in Tests. Even his place in the Indian ODI team can be questioned. Over the past year, Gill's shares have fallen dramatically and it appears the selectors have moved away from him when it comes to future leadership plans. With Rohit Sharma nearing the end of his captaincy career, players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant will reportedly be groomed, besides Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah led the Indian team in two matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He appears to be the No. 1 candidate to take on the role of Test captain, although the injury record is of some concern to the selection committee and team management. Hence, Pant and Jaiswal are being backed for the vice-captain role.
As this transition within the Indian team begins to take shape, former cricketer Aakash Chopra highlighted how Gill has fallen far down the pecking order of the leadership plans.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant – which of the two can become captain? It's a nice question because according to sources, Rohit has said that he will lead the team for a few months but after that you (the BCCI) can find who you wish, and since there could be an injury problem with Bumrah, it is your wish,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I had a solution that we should see after six months. If Jasprit Bumrah captains the entire England tour, appoint a vice-captain properly because you have to look after him. Let's be very honest, when we won the T20 World Cup, it seemed like the grooming process went very well,” he noted.
Gill was also named India's vice-captain in white-ball formats last year, following the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup. But the management has now shifted its focus to new candidates.
“Everything was looking good. Shubman Gill was appointed vice-captain. He was regularly assigned that role and then suddenly Shubman Gill was dropped. So there was pressure on him about what happened as he may not get the captaincy . thoughts and will not come in the T20 format at all,” Chopra claimed.
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