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Head of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar announced India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England on Saturday. During the announcement, he also named Shubman Gill as India's new skipper in red-ball cricket, despite him having never captained the side in the format..
However, many former India cricketers weren't satisfied with this selection. Virender Sehwag stated that both Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are better suited for the leadership role while Anil Kumble remarked that the 25-year-old Gill is yet to establish himself in the Test side.
Shubman Gill has a decent record in Test cricket
Gill has played 32 Tests so far in his career, scoring 1893 runs including seven fifties and five centuries. He also has a decent average of 35.05, however it is in overseas conditions where his numbers plummet. The batter has played 13 Tests on foreign soil so far and has managed to score just 649 runs at an average of 29.50 with his only century coming against Bangladesh.
The England tour will be a huge assignment for Gill, however legendary India cricketer Kapil Dev believes that the young captain is up for the challenge. He added that under the guidance of veterans like Bumrah, Gill will flourish in the leadership role.
"It is good the expectations are not high because the team is young. It will help Gill and his team. It is sometimes better to be underdogs. You can perform better. For me, Gill is a player ready to take on the world. With support from (Jasprit) Bumrah, I am sure Gill will emerge as a strong captain. He will learn to shoulder responsibility; a good form with the bat should help him achieve his goal. I am happy for Gill because he looks like a solid batsman. He should remember never to relax when playing in England," Kapil told Sportstar.
"Patience will be the key in England. Much will depend on how the bowlers perform. The plan should be simple – take wickets at critical stages and keep the opposition under pressure. The batters must show patience in the middle since the conditions can be extremely challenging. The bowlers can bounce back in every session in England. Let Gill remember that he has been chosen based on his talent. I want him to enjoy his cricket. There are competent members on the team to help him move his dream forward. He has to stay positive," he added.
However, Kapil also fired a warning to the Indian team ahead of the series against England and stated that the tour will not be easy at all. Notably, the Men in Blue haven't won a series against the Three Lions since 2007.
"It is always tough to play in England because of the exacting conditions. Also, the home team can throw up new challenges in conditions they are better placed to exploit, but this Indian team, with a new captain, raises hopes of a new era to look forward to," Kapil stated.
"It won’t be easy. It is never easy in England and Australia, but someone must take responsibility. Gill is the man suited to assume the role of a leader. The selectors have weighed all the strong points and made him the captain with a purpose, a long-term investment. He will need the support of the team and the fans. He is young and will learn to give his best and bring the best out of the boys," he concluded.
India squad for England series: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
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