KL Rahul likely to open batting in England; Shubman Gill ahead of Bumrah in Test Captaincy race

Rohit Sharma's decision to hang up his boots from Test cricket has triggered the debate over his potential successor in the Indian cricket team ahead of the upcoming England tour. Team India will play 5-Tests in English summer, starting June 20.

Sources informed OneIndia, that Rohit, who dropped out of the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney during the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, wasn't the captaincy choice for chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and his team. The selectors had conveyed their thoughts to the Hitman as they were no longer looking at the Mumbaikar as the captain.

Shubman Gill to succeed Rohit Sharma in Tests?

With Rohit out of the scene, the focus now shifts to who will fill in the shoes of the 38-year-old in the whites for Team India. While Jasprit Bumrah, who led Team India in the BGT Series in the absence of Rohit, looks the obvious choice. However, Shubman Gill has also been discussed by the selectors.

Gill (25), having already played 32 Tests, is looked at as the long-term option from the selectors. The talented batter from Punjab - who made his debut in 2020 - is already tipped to be the next big thing in world cricket and is leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL. However, leading an IPL franchise and a Test side are different.

Ball in Jasprit Bumrah's Court?

"While there may be an inclination towards handing over the reins of the Test side to Gill, the selectors are speaking to Bumrah. The selectors are looking at a permanent captaincy option but with Bumrah, workload management gets important. He can't play all the matches in a go. But a senior player like Bumrah has to be taken into confidence before finalising," the source close to the development informed Oneindia.

It is also believed that India head coach Gautam Gambhir has suggested the name of young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal as the vice-captain if Gill is appointed the captain. If Bumrah gets to lead the side, then Gill will be his deputy.

KL Rahul likely to open batting in England

With Rohit out of the picture, KL Rahul is likely to open the batting for India in the red-ball format. The right-handed batter has done well in the recent past but the selectors don't want him to take the pressure of captaincy. He was also one of the standout batters for the side on the previous Test tour of England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Karnataka cricketer is likely to play as a genuine batter while it will be a toss-up between Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper's spot. Should the team management deem it fit, both Jurel and Pant can now feature in the playing eleven with Gill and Virat Kohli walking in at number three and four respectively.

Sai Sudharsan to be rewarded for a good domestic show

Young Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan, who is also Gill's opening partner at Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 and has been doing well in the domestic circuit, could also get his maiden Test call-up. Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur could be looked at as the all-rounders.

The selectors are likely to announce the squad for the England tour, which also marks the start of the new World Test Championship Cycle for the two sides, within two weeks.