Indian cricket will step into an uncertain new chapter next week when selectors name a Test squad devoid of all-time greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in over a decade.
Batting mainstays Kohli and captain Rohit both announced their retirements from Test cricket in the past week, positioning Shubman Gill as the leading candidate to captain a fresh-looking India in their upcoming series against England.
The retirement last year of seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin further depletes the core of the Indian side that previously held the number one ranking in Test cricket globally.
Top-order batsman Gill is the frontrunner to be tasked with initiating India’s rebuilding phase, commencing with the five-Test series against England scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley.
“Gill appears to be the natural successor, but his away record hasn’t been particularly impressive,” veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.
The 25-year-old Gill has accumulated 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Test matches since his debut in 2020, including five centuries.
However, in 13 Tests played away from home, his average drops to just 29.50.
Gill is likely to move up the batting order to open alongside the 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the aggressive batsman Shreyas Iyer in contention to fill Kohli’s spot at the fall of the second wicket.
Other players who might be entrusted with the daunting task of following in the footsteps of the legendary Kohli include Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, and Dhruv Jurel.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has also been mentioned as a potential future captain, but his current dip in form and less-than-inspiring leadership of the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL are hindering his immediate elevation to the captaincy.
Leading pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah served as Rohit’s deputy in Australia and captained the team in two Test matches, securing one victory. He was also considered a potential captaincy candidate.
However, Bumrah has only recently returned to competitive cricket after recovering from a back injury sustained during the final Test in Sydney in January.
The five Tests in England are compressed into a six-week window, necessitating careful workload management for India’s pace attack. This will likely involve resting bowlers for one or more matches, effectively ruling Bumrah out of the captaincy discussion.
Team in Transition
Memon, who described Kohli’s retirement as “a significant moment in Indian cricket,” believes that India possesses sufficient depth in talent to fill the void left by Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin.
“There are experienced professionals like (Mohammed) Shami, provided he is fit and selected, and (Ravindra) Jadeja,” Memon stated.
“The emerging group of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and potentially Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj look promising.”
“They might also be looking for a young spinner, perhaps Washington Sundar, given Ashwin’s absence.”
Off-spinner Ashwin abruptly ended his international career after playing the second Test in Adelaide last year.
He concluded his career with an impressive tally of 537 wickets in 106 matches, placing him eighth on the all-time list and second only to Anil Kumble (619 dismissals) for India.
Sandeep Patil, India’s all-rounder from their 1983 World Cup-winning squad, is optimistic that the new-look Indian team will emerge stronger after navigating this transitional period.
“The two stalwarts, the two pillars of Indian cricket, have departed,” Patil, who was the chief selector when Kohli assumed captaincy in 2015, told The Times of India.
“It is time for a rebuild. It will pose a challenge for the national selectors, but I am confident that we will find a solution.”
“If one player leaves, the next one is ready.”
