The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the hunt of a test cricket captain. As skipper Rohit Sharma announced his departure from the test format, next in line was Virat Kohli. However, he too, has expressed his intentions to retire from the longest form of the game soon. Now at crossroads, BCCI is looking at both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for the captaincy vacancy.
As per Sky Sports, Bumrah took a step back after selectors approached him for the role for red-ball cricket. “India are now expected to pick either Gill or Pant as their next Test captain, with selectors due to meet next week to discuss the position,” Sky Sports reported.
Shubman Gill vs Rishabh Pant
Shubman Gill has shown touted performance across all formats in Indian cricket. Be it his 1893 runs from 32 test matches or his captaincy that has made Gujarat Titans dominate IPL 2025. He also holds multiple records to his name for scoring the fastest 2000 in one-day cricket.
The left-handed batter and wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant scored 2948 runs in 43 test-matches so far. The unexpected opposition to Gill’s captaincy headway has taken 149 catches in the format since 2018. However, his recent struggle in the Australia series costed the Indian team a heavy consequence.
Jasprit Bumrah’s track record
Bumrah’s exemplary performance made BCCI consider him as a potential test-captain. The Sky News report also revealed, however, that he is “unlikely to feature in all five Tests against England and selectors would prefer a captain who can consistently feature across a whole series.”
Meanwhile, a meeting between the players and the BCCI is on a temporary halt considering the rising geopolitical tensions. The Indian Premier League (IPL) which was earlier suspended for a week is likely to resume on Sunday, May 19 as the final is expected to be extended till May 30 following Operation Sindoor’s retaliation from Pakistan.