Top News

The Times of India has suggested that BCCI are ready to rethink their choice of Shubman Gill as the new Test captain. The possibility of a last-minute change in the captaincy is not excluded, said the source.

Information gathered from various sources reveals that Gautam Gambhir has scheduled a trip to Mumbai on Thursday, May 15, where an important discussion is set to take place. The main topic of the meeting will no doubt be to make the final decision about the captaincy in the five-match Test series that is to start on June 20 against England.

A lot of media reports, in the last few days, pointed directly towards Shubman Gill as the probable captain of the Test team. According to most of them, the young batter was all prepared to take over the leadership of the squad.

It is said that Gill had discussions with the team management regarding his role in the future. The BCCI and the coaching staff were on the same page in their support for him being the captain.

The recent reports of a possible switch have yet again raised the names of Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul as the options. Despite being a supporter of Gill's, these names have not yet been eliminated from the pool of potential candidates.

Once Rohit Sharma hung his boots on Test cricket, Bumrah was a shoo-in based on his vice-captain status. However, the team's think tank opined that the situation could be exaggerated if more responsibility was put on Bumrah, hence the latter's recurring injuries due to overwork as he was the pace spearhead.

Rishabh Pant was also in the mix. The gloveman-batsman has been India's main Test front-runner going back a few years and was given the role of vice-captain. His current form has turned him into the ideal candidate for the leadership.

Also Read | 

However, KL Rahul was not the first choice. Due to his age and unimpressive Test record, with 33 years and a modest test average of less than 35 from 50 tests, the selectors believe that he is not the right person to be the heading the team.

BCCI is expected to declare the new Test captain during a special press conference next week. At the same time, the squad for the England series will be announced, which is the first phase of the fresh ICC World Test Championship cycle.