Shubman Gill is now the new Test captain of Team India. Rishabh Pant is his deputy. For the first time in a long while, India will play a Test match without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Gill is one of the youngest Test captains India has ever had. Here are three big challenges he might face:
Replacing a Legend
Rohit Sharma is a tough act to follow. When someone like Virat Kohli praises a player’s talent, it means something. Even veteran umpire Anil Choudhary has praised Rohit’s captaincy mindset. Under Rohit, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. They also made it to the 2023 WTC final and the 2023 ODI World Cup. Filling his shoes won’t be easy for 25-year-old Shubman Gill.
Gill’s Batting Position
A big question is where Gill will bat. He was batting at number three after Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped. Now that Rohit Sharma has retired, the opening batting slot is empty. Will Gill open or keep batting at number three? Sai Sudarshan might be the answer. If Gill keeps batting at number three, Sudarshan could be a good replacement for Rohit.
Filling Kohli’s Spot
Virat Kohli’s retirement has left a hole at number four in the batting order. KL Rahul could be an option – he has experience batting in the middle order and opening. Karun Nair bats at number four in domestic cricket and has had a great Ranji Trophy season, scoring 863 runs at an average of 54. Sarfaraz Khan also has experience batting in the middle order.