The Indian selectors have taken a giant leap of faith in appointing young middle-order batsman Shubman Gill as captain of the team to play five Test matches in England starting June 20. To be sure, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place following the retirements of first incumbent captain Rohit Sharma and then Virat Kohli within a fortnight of each other earlier this month.
With bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah making it clear he would not be available for the full series due to fitness issues, besides which he was not keen on the additional responsibility of captaincy, Gill was always the front-runner for the honour. It did not help matters that ace off-spinner R. Ashwin quit in a huff midway through the 2024-25 series in Australia, leaving the squad for England high on youth but low on experience.
Gill’s biggest impediment is that he is not certain either of his place in the playing XI nor of his position in the batting order. He played in only three of the five Tests Down Under, averaging just 18.60 with a highest of 31.
In a twist of irony, captain Sharma dropped himself after a horror run in the fifth and final Test at Sydney in January to accommodate Gill who scored 20 and 13, as India lost the Test by six wickets and the series 3-1. It will be a further irony for the young captain if his batting fails to click in England and his place in the team comes under a harsh spotlight.
Going straight from the gruelling 10 weeks of the IPL (Indian Premier League), where he has captained Gujarat Titans to the play-offs, and into the five Tests with just one warm-up red-ball match (that too against the touring India A) to prepare, the team will be caught cold in the opening Test at Headingley, Leeds, where the ball swings more than at most venues.
It has always been the case with tours to England since the IPL was launched in 2008 that the team’s acclimatisation period is severely curtailed, this time more so, as the league was extended after a break due to the hostilities that broke out against Pakistan.
India has never won a five-Test series in England on four previous occasions, losing three and drawing 2-2 the last time they toured in 2021 (the fifth and final Test was played in 2022 due to COVID-19).
Gill will be India’s 37th Test captain since CK Nayudu in 1932 and the youngest at 25 since Sachin Tendulkar (23) in 1996. The captaincy of the Test team—the greatest honour for any Indian cricketer—can also prove to be a crown of thorns. But as he leads the Indian cricket into a new era, every fan will be hoping Gill is up to the stern challenge.
