According to the PTI, the Indian selection committee considered selecting Virat Kohli to lead the team during the difficult five-Test tour to England, which begins on June 20. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intends to choose Shubman Gill as India’s next Test captain following Rohit Sharma’s announcement of his retirement from the sport.
Due to his injury history and the team management’s desire to avoid adding to the seamer’s workload, India’s top pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who just recovered from a back injury, was not taken into consideration. Bumrah is also not likely to play in all five of England’s Test matches.
India’s most successful Test captain, Virat Kohli, last captained the team in red-ball cricket in January 2022. India’s next Test captain will be Gill, and his deputy will be wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
It’s true that the selectors considered choosing Kohli to lead India in the England series. This would have allowed Gill more time to develop into a leader, but he is still in his prime at the age of 25 and a half, a BCCI source with knowledge of the situation told the PTI.
“Gill seems like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar’s committee because of Bumrah’s fitness issues.”
According to certain recent reports, Kohli told the BCCI that he intended to retire from Test cricket prior to the England tour. The 36-year-old is not interested in extending his Test career, despite the highest officials’ requests that he change his mind.
Since 2024, Kohli has performed poorly in Test cricket, scoring 440 runs at an average of 23.16 across his previous 21 innings.
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