Shubman Gill's Credentials Doubted, Overseas Numbers "Not Healthy As Batter, Let Alone As Captain"

Shubman Gill era has begun in Indian cricket. The 25-year-old star was named the captain of the Indian cricket squad for the Tour of England starting June 20. At 25, Gill has become one of the youngest players to hold the position in recent years. Though he lacks captaincy experience in the red-ball format, he has led India in a five-match T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in 2024. Gill has also been captaining the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill has also served as vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. He was Rohit Sharma's deputy in India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign in the UAE in February 2025. In Test cricket, Gill has played 32 matches and scored 1,893 runs, including five centuries.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has called Shubman Gill as India Test captain as a 'investment of faith'.

"Lots (of challenges) actually in Test cricket. If it were ODI format, we would have said absolutely fine. He is the heir apparent. He is annointed as the vice captain for a significant period of time. So, we saw it coming but when you talk about Test cricket, you'd say he's still trying to figure out a place for himself, especially outside of the subcontinent. His average is 35. His overseas numbers are around 25, and that's not very healthy as a batter alone, let alone be the captain of the side," Chopra told ESPNCricinfo.

"So, I see this as an investment of faith. You see somebody, you see promise and potential. You go with that guy with a lot of hope and some amount of belief that we are making the right choice."

Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes the decisions taken by Ajit Agarkar's selection committee will be "vindicated" if the Indian Test side under new skipper Shubman Gill pulls off a