Former India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar has tipped Shubman Gill's name to become India's future captain after Rohit Sharma's departure. Shubman Gill is in red-hot form in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 and as per Bangar, the star batter is the guy who is going to shoulder the responsibility of the Indian team going forwards in years to come.
Rohit Sharma's commendable leadership of the Indian team in the Champions Trophy 2025 is undeniable, but his age, i.e 37 inevitably brings the question on whether who will be his successor going forward. With his retirement looming, India faces the challenge to find a new captain across all formats. While Jasprit Bumrah has been suggested as a potential Test captain, Rohit's continued participation in the longer format remains uncertain. In this context, former Indian all-rounder and batting coach Sanjay Bangar has identified a young talent as a long-term replacement.
During a discussion on JioHotstar, Bangar backed Shubman Gill's ability to take on the leadership role in the future. He drew everyone's attention towards Gill's impressive record in recent ODIs which proved his batting prowess. Given his red-hot form, he was also given a big responsibility to become Rohit's deputy in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. Moreover, Bangar praised Gill's shot selection and performance during his 46-run innings against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025, reinforcing his belief in the 25-year-old's potential to lead the Indian team.
“Clearly, he’s the guy who is going to shoulder the responsibility of the Indian team going forward in years to come. His foundations are really, really strong and add to that the confidence of nearly two-and-a-half years of performing in one-day cricket. In one-day cricket, he’s been phenomenal," Bangar said.
"Now look, the straight drive, the on-drive are the shots wherein you cannot actually hit the ball really hard. But here, he was hitting the ball so hard that despite the mid-off and the mid-on fielder being on that 30-yard circle, the ball was going and hitting them. That’s the kind of timing he possesses,” he concluded.
Gill's recent performance in ODIs has been nothing short of spectacular. His form has been particularly evident in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, where he has accumulated 147 runs, including a century in the opening match against Bangladesh. Gill, who recently toppled Pakistan's Babar Azam to become no.1 ODI batter, has amassed 406 runs in the last five ODI innings, a feat achieved through two centuries and two half-centuries.