Shubman Gill appointed India's new Test captain: Details and stats
What's the story
Shubman Gill has been officially named as India's new Test captain. The upcoming five-match series against hosts England will be his first assignment at the helm. Notably, BCCI has announced a young squad for the series following the Test retirements of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been picked as Gill's deputy. Here are further details.
Captaincy
Gill pips Jasprit Bumrah
It must be noted that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain in India's preceding Test assignment, against hosts Australia. He even led in a couple of games in the then-skipper Rohit's absence. However, the pacer sustained an injury midway through the fifth and final Test. Hence, workload management seems to be the reason behind his exclusion from the leadership department. KL Rahul, another veteran who has led India before in Tests, was also not considered.
DYK
Gill has led India before
Notably, Gill was already India's vice-captain in the ODI and T20I formats. Hence, one could see him becoming India's all-format skipper in future. The star batter never led in Test matches or ODIs. However, he has led the team in five T20Is during a tour of Zimbabwe last year which had several regular names missing. Moreover, Gill is currently the captain of Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Stats
A look at Gill's Test numbers
Gill has blown hot and cold in Tests though he has been a regular in the format over the past couple of years. Across 32 Test matches, Gill has scored 1,893 runs at 35.05. He owns five tons and seven fifties. In 2024, Gill played 12 Tests for India, scoring 866 runs at 43.30, as per ESPNcricinfo. He slammed three tons and as many fifties. On England soil, he boasts just 88 Test runs at 14.66.
Information
Gill has led in just five FC games
It must be noted that Gill has led just five times in First-Class cricket. He has recorded a solitary victory in these games besides a couple of draws and as many defeats.
Australia tour
Gill was benched during a game on Australia tour
Interestingly, Gill was benched during a game in the aforementioned Australia tour. He was dropped for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) following a string of poor performances. The decision surprised many since Gill had cemented his spot as India's number three batter in Tests. Though the batter returned for the final game as Rohit dropped himself, Gill finished the series with just 93 runs at 18.60.
Information
India squad for England tour
Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk & VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.