After being appointed as India’s vice captain for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, young opening batter Shubman Gill is all set to become the new vice captain of India’s Test team as well. According to a report, the 24-year-old will be appointed as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the red-ball series at home against Bangladesh next month.
At present, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is the vice captain of India’s Test side, but according to a report by RevSportz, sources in the BCCI have confirmed that Gill is likely to replace Bumrah as the new vice captain when the selectors announce the squad for the two-match series.
The first Test of the two-match series between India and Bangladesh is set to take place in Chennai on September 19, whereas Green Park Stadium in Kanpur will host the second Test from September 27 to October 1.
India sits in the No. 1 position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table, and a series win over Bangladesh will not only help India maintain the top position but also move to the No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings.
Bumrah, who reached the No. 1 position in the ICC Test bowler’s ranking earlier this year, has been India’s vice captain in Tests for more than two years now, and he also captained the side in one Test against England, which was played at Edgbaston in July 2022. He was, however, unable to help India secure a win in that match.
If Gill is appointed as India’s vice captain for the Bangladesh series, then there are high chances that he will be Rohit’s deputy during the New Zealand series and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well.
The report of Gill becoming India’s new Test vice captain comes after chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated during Gautam Gambhir’s first press conference that BCCI is seeing Gill as a three-format player.
“This time with the T20 World Cup around, when Hardik got injured, it was a bit of a challenge. At that time, Rohit wasn’t playing. He was around, and we were lucky that Rohit was available to lead. We don’t want that situation again. Shubman is the guy we feel again, as he is a three-format player, and he has shown quality over the last year or so. And we have heard from the dressing room,” said Agarkar.
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