Shubman Gill is NOT obvious choice as Test captain

Now that the dust and grime has settled over the retirement of Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma, speculation has begun if Shubman Gill will be the front-runner for the leadership role. The grapevine says the BCCI is torn between two possible choices, Jasprit Bumrah and Gill.

There are various theories which are being floated. If you rewind to a video interview which Rohit Sharma had done with an Aussie journo a fortnight back, he was hopeful of leading the team to England for the five Test series. What transpired in a fortnight is not clear, but the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, wants to go with young leaders.

To be sure, Rohit had also done an interview with an Indian journalist Vimal Kumar last night wherein he spoke of how important Test cricket is. The image of Rohit is that of a master blaster in ODIs, since he has now retired from T20 internationals. However, Rohit said emphatically, there is nothing like winning a high intensity Test match. He stressed Test wins are close to his heart.

When Rohit was made the skipper, he had sufficient experience to take over from Virat Kohli. So, the point is, does the BCCI think Gill is in the same league as two former Test captains and can be a good leader. Going by Gill’s record in the BGT Series in Australia recently, he played only three Tests. He was unfit for one Test and dropped for one Test. So, from where does this gain currency, Gill can shape the destiny of India in Test cricket. He scored poorly so is someone being a Godfather to Gill?

Second point, is the BCCI ready for three different captains for three different formats – Tests, ODIs and T20. Suryakumar Yadav leads in T20 internationals, and Rohit is certain he will play the ODIs. So, will the BCCI now also ask Rohit to give up ODI captaincy? That would be bold, since captains in India have not been eased out smoothly. Of course, when Sourav Ganguly was the BCCI President, he had managed to get rid of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri as coach.

There is also a school of thought wherein the BCCI wants the Test and ODI captain to be the same. If that is the situation, elevate Gill would be a big boost. Gill has pedigree and has shown good leadership in the IPL with Gujarat Titans. However, club cricket and Test cricket are not the same. Gill has to be first scrutinised if he has the record in terms of runs in Tests to become an automatic choice as player and then captain. India should not make the same mistake of past, where a player has not been in form.

Last month, MS Dhoni had said the captain should be first a man in form and then get picked. By that logic, Jasprit Bumrah is fit and should lead in England. A five-Test series does not mean he has to play all matches. One break can be allowed, since fast bowlers are not machines. If Gill is still made Test captain, it will be unfair to many, Bumrah and Rishabh Pant included.

Indian cricket has seen a strong Mumbai lobby as well in operation. It is also well known, coach Gautam Gambhir has fierce ideas and will be consulted. If he is going to be OK with Gill, non can stop it. But on the basis of performance and bowling his heart out, Bumrah will be heart broken if he misses Test captaincy. It will be a bit like how Ajinkya Rahane was stand-in captain for Kohli but never got a full role. Don’t be unfair to Bumrah, he is an all format match-winner. Now, one format which he loves is Tests, so be kind to him. Leadership is earned, not received as a gift.