India's top batsman Shubman Gill has not had a great one series with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 25-year-old has 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 over his ability to take over the captaincy of the team after Rohit Sharma. Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra recently talked about two players who can replace Rohit Sharma as India's next captain, and Gill was not on his list.
Chopra appointed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant as the two players who can captain India in the future due to their consistent performances in recent years. He also revealed 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 jasprit bumrahhis name but feels his injury problems do not suit him well for the role of captain.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant – which of 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 (the BCCI) can find whoever you want and since there might be an injury problem with (Jasprit) Bumrah, it'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.
“We had a solution that we should see after six months. If Jasprit Bumrah is leading the whole 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 to me that the care process was going very well,” he noted.
Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's demotion from the management group
While speaking further on his channel, Aakash Chopra revealed the reason behind Shubman Gill's demotion from the management team. Chopra also noted that the Indian team management tried to promote Gill by giving him chances in the management group, but his performances degraded over time.
“Everything looked fine. Shubman Gill was named vice-captain. He was regularly assigned this role and then suddenly Shubman Gill was dropped. So the pressure has been put on what's going on because potentially it won't come to the captain. thoughts and it doesn't come in the T20 format at all,” explained Chopra.
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 regular captain Suryakumar Yadav was rested. However, his sudden drop in form in Tests has raised questions about his place in the Reds' batting team.
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 test due to injury before the series. However, he returned to his preferred No. 3 spot in the second match.
But he didn't look his best and struggled against the moving ball against a quality Australian bowling attack. Gill was later dropped for the final Test in Sydney due to the team mix-up as India opted for two spin-bowlers.