Head of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar announced India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test assignment against England on Saturday. Many changes were made to the squad with Shubman Gill becoming India's new Test skipper and Rishabh Pant being named his deputy. Karun Nair was called back to the Test set-up after eight years while fresh faces like Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran also made it to the squad.
Shubman Gill has never captained India in the Test format
Shubman, who has never captained the Indian team in the longest format before, will be leading the side in the important series against England which is set to mark the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara feels that it will be a challenge for the 25-year-old to straight away lead the side in an overseas tour, but added that this is also an opportunity to boost his confidence as well.
"When you go abroad as a captain, whether you are young or matured, it will be challenging. To start off in England, it won't be easy for Shubman but it's a great opportunity for a young player. If he leads well in England it will boost his confidence," Pujara said in an online interaction organized by the Sony Sports Network.
"The reason he has been given the responsibility ahead of Jasprit Bumrah is because we are hearing that Bumrah will not be able to play all five Test matches. So if Shubman has been given the responsibility, the team management and selectors are thinking that he could lead the team for a long time," Pujara added.
The 37-year-old, who has 7195 runs under his name in the longest format, also explained why Rishabh Pant was chosen as the vice-captain over Jasprit Bumrah despite the wicketkeeper-batter's recent batting woes.
"Bumrah is out of contention for captain or vice-captain's role and that's the reason Pant has been given the vice-captaincy," Pujara stated.
"He is out of form in the T20 format but in Test cricket he has been one of the best batters. His record in England has been really good in the past and he is capable enough to repeat those brilliant knocks," Pujara further said.
The all-important series between India and England is set to commence from June 20 with the first match to be played at Headingley in Leeds. Both teams will be looking to make a strong start to the new WTC cycle.