3 Major Challenges For Shubman Gill If He Gets Appointed As India Test Captain

Challenges for Shubman Gill [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

The upcoming Test series between India and England will usher a new era of Indian cricket as for the first time in ages, the Asian side will field a playing XI without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While Rohit announced his Test retirement last week, Kohli dropped a bombshell by retiring on Monday.

Now, with no RO-KO in Test setup, it starts a new era and most likely, Shubman Gill will be the successor as he is set to be appointed as the new Test captain. However, the job won't be easy and here are 3 massive challenges which Gill will face ahead of the England tour next month.

1) Replacing RO-KO in Tests

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Gill will be to replace Rohit and Kohli in Tests. The two stalwarts have been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup for ages now and replacing them in the England series will be a tough task for the potential new skipper, Gill.

Playing in England is always a tough task for any Asian side and without the experienced duo, the task becomes even difficult. Hence, who will step up in their absence? Will India find a new hero? Gill needs to find the answers.

2) Balancing act between batter and captain

Gill is likely to replace Rohit Sharma as the Test captain and he has big shoes to fill in. On his first Test assignment as the captain, Gill will face a strong England team and Gill needs to be on his toes, both as a player and as a captain. Plus, his record in England is not the best and he does have a point to prove.

Not even 100 runs in 6 Test innings sumps up Gill's Test career in England. He needs to score big to prove his class and also has to make sure that his form is not affecting his captaincy in England.

3) Finding a helfpul partner for Jasprit Bumrah

The problem with the Indian team in Australia was that there was no one to support Jasprit Bumrah in bowling department. The likes of Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana looked good in patches, but they couldn't deliver the big blow as Bumrah was left all alone.

(Indian pacers' bowling stats in Australia tour)

This 5-match Test series will be crucial for India's WTC 2025-27 journey and to win the series, India not only needs Bumrah, but other pacers to deliver. Who will that be? Gill has to find the answers.

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