India's batting great Sunil Gavaskar has given his verdict on potential candidates to succeed Rohit Sharma as India's next Test captain. While talking about strong leadership attributes present in Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant, former India captain has expressed his belief that Gill stands out as the leading contender for the coveted role.
Sunil Gavaskar feels Shubman Gill most suitable to become India's next captain
BCCI are still brainstorming to pick India's next Test captain following Rohit Sharma's shocking retirement from the longest format of the game on May 7. With an upcoming Test series against England scheduled to start on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces the crucial task of appointing a new leader to guide the team.
In his assessment of the potential captains, Gavaskar observed that Gill, Iyer, and Pant each exhibit unique approaches to leadership. However, he noted that Shubman Gill appears to be particularly engaged and proactive on the field, a quality that seemingly positions him favorably in Gavaskar's view for the captaincy.
"It would take a couple of years (to groom future leaders) to get to the level of our super captains (MS Dhoni, Rohit, Virat). All of them brought a different approach to captaincy. When you see Gill, Iyer and Pant, three main pretenders to Indian captaincy you see an amalgamation of all three (Dhoni, Rohit, Virat). Gill probably is more competitive, when there is a decision, he is asking the umpire right away. He is probably a lot more involved," Gavaskar told PTI on Star Sports Press Room.
"Though Pant is behind the stumps, he is also very involved. Iyer too has been superb. All three have brought a lot of positivity in the way they have been captaining,” Gavaskar added.
Gill has already gained some captaincy experience on the international stage, having led the Indian team in five T20 International matches during their tour of Zimbabwe in the preceding year. Currently, he is in his second season as the captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the highly competitive Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill's journey in professional cricket began with his international debut in 2019, following his involvement in India's victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2018. Prior to his stint with the Gujarat Titans, he also represented the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. While Jasprit Bumrah was initially considered a prominent candidate for the Test captaincy, recent reports from Sky Sports indicate that the premier fast bowler has opted out of contention for the role. This decision is likely influenced by concerns regarding workload management, particularly given the possibility that he may not be available for the entirety of the upcoming five-match Test series against England.