It is a new dawn for Shubman Gill. After being on the reserve bench for the entirety of the ICC T20 World Cup, Gill is now the vice-captain for Team India in both ODIs and T20Is. Now the question persists, whether Shubman Gill will become the vice captain of Test team?
Patience is Virtue – Shubman Gill might have been sad on missing out in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. But his patience of being on the reserve team is reaping some solid rewards. For the upcoming India vs Sri Lanka series, he stands as the deputy to Suryakuamr Yadav in T20Is and Rohit Sharma in ODIs.
After successfully leading the India Cricket Team in the 5-match Zimbabwe series, it is now time for Gill to become the vice captain for Team India. Under Gill’s charge, India clinched a dominant 4-1 win over the African opponents. But now, the task will be much bigger. In the grand scheme of things, Gill is set to become the next captain, quite possibly after the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Not new to captaincy!
Despite being of just 24 years of age, Shubman Gill is not new to captain. The bight prospect for Team India has time and again proved himself with the bat when the occasion has arisen. Furthermore, this won’t be his first time that he would be in a leadership role.
After Hardik Pandya‘s trade off to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2024, Gill was promoted as the skipper of his side Gujarat Titans. Albeit the team didn’t perform well, the seeds of leadership were planted then. Captaining an IPL side is a big role, considering the stature of foreign players who are a part of the team.
Tournament Heading
Poor IPL 2024 stint for Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya switched trades from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 transfer. Furthermore, he was made the captain of the MI side. Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the points table, wining just 4 games and losing the other 10 games.
Reports claim both Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar were convinced that Hardik won’t be the perfect fit to take on the reins of Team India. This in turn works in favour of Gill. First of all he is young and has a lot to play in his career. Despite GT performing rather poorly, they finished ahead of MI.
Will Gill become the new captain after Rohit?
There is a high chance for Shubman Gill to succeed Rohit Sharma. With the Indian skipper approaching the twilight of his career, it is Shubman Gill’s chance to take up the next role. And in fact, Gill should be next in line for the coveted spot. As for T20Is, Gill most likely will be the next captain after the T20 World Cup 2026.
Similarly, once Rohit Sharma hangs his boots from ODIs, Gill again is in pole position to take on the reigns of the team. And lastly comes the red ball cricket. While it is safe to say that there are quite a few seniors ahead of him in race to replace Rohit, it remains to be seen what the BCCI Selection Committee and Gautam Gambhir decides upon.
