24 May 2025 ko Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ne announce kiya ke Shubman Gill ab India ke naye Test captain honge. 25 saal ke top-order batter ne Rohit Sharma ki jagah li hai, jo is mahine ke shuruat mein Test cricket se retire ho gaye. Gill ab unhi raahon par hain jahan se kabhi Virat Kohli bhi guzre the, jo pehle hi red-ball cricket ko alvida keh chuke hain.
Is naye daur mein Gill ke saath Rishabh Pant honge vice-captain ke taur par, jab India 20 June 2025 se England ke khilaaf paanch-Test match series shuru karega. Ye leadership transition naye World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025–27 ke dauraan ho raha hai, aur Gill ek naye, jawaan team ke sath naye daur ki shuruaat karenge.
Shubman Gill ka captain banna
Shubman Gill ka Test captain banna kaafi samay se expected tha. 8 May 2025 se hi reports aa rahi thi ke unka naam frontrunner hai Rohit ke successor ke roop mein. IPL mein Gujarat Titans ke captain ke roop mein unhone jo calm aur smart decisions diye, unhone selectors ka bharosa jeeta.
Halanki, unka overseas Test performance ab tak thoda inconsistent raha hai, magar unki age, batting talent, aur long-term leadership potential ne unhe ek strong candidate banaya.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar ne kaha,
“Pichle ek saal se hum Shubman ko is role ke liye dekh rahe hain. Humein lagta hai woh wohi banda hai jo team ko aage le jaa sakta hai. Yeh ek high-pressure job hai, par woh ek terrific player hai.”
Gill ne ab tak 25 Test matches mein 1,555 runs banaye hain, average 37.02 ke sath, jisme 3 centuries aur 5 fifties shamil hain. Unki innings ko anchor karne ki ability aur adaptability England jaise conditions mein test hogi.
Rishabh Pant – vice-captain ka role
Rishabh Pant ko vice-captain banana selectors ke liye ek clear signal tha – unki importance sirf batting aur keeping tak simit nahi, balki leadership mein bhi unse umeedein hain. 43 Test matches khel chuke Pant, England mein 2 centuries maar chuke hain, aur unka aggressive style kisi bhi match ka flow badal sakta hai.
Unka Delhi Capitals ke sath IPL captaincy record mixed raha hai, lekin Gill ke sath unka natural flair ek balance create karega. Jasprit Bumrah ya KL Rahul jaise experienced players ke upar Pant ko chunna, un par selectors ke trust ko dikhata hai.
Pant ke sath Dhruv Jurel bhi squad mein honge, jo doosre wicketkeeper ke option honge.
Jasprit Bumrah kyu captain nahi banaye gaye
Jasprit Bumrah, jo ke Australia tour ke dauraan vice-captain the, aur jinhone Perth Test mein 295-run ki jeet dilayi thi, captaincy ke liye strong candidate the. Lekin unki injury history aur workload management ki wajah se selectors ne unhe leadership role se alag rakha.
Agarkar ne is faisle par clarification diya:
“Bumrah vice-captain the Australia mein, lekin poori series nahi khel paaye. Hum chahte hain woh fit rahein aur apna best bowling dein, na ke un par extra zimmedaari daalein.”
Unhone ye bhi kaha ke Bumrah shayad 5 Tests mein se 3-4 hi khel sakein, unki body condition ke hisaab se decision liya jayega. Shane Bond ne bhi warning di thi ke Bumrah ko continuously zyada Tests mat khilaana.
Bumrah ke saath bowling attack mein honge Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, aur Arshdeep Singh, jo apna pehla Test khel sakte hain.
Squad ka composition
England tour ke liye India ne ek 18-member squad select ki hai, jisme youth aur experience ka accha blend hai. Mohammed Shami fitness issues ki wajah se bahar hain. Kuch naye chehre jaise Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep Singh ko moka mila hai.
Puri squad:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc/wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
Bowling mein Jadeja aur Washington all-round options hain, jabki Kuldeep Yadav ek specialist spinner hain.
Aane wali challenges
Gill ka pehla Test series as captain England ke khilaaf 5-match series hai – aur woh bhi England mein, jahan conditions Indian players ke liye hamesha tough rahi hain. Joe Root jaise batsmen unke liye bada challenge honge.
Kohli aur Rohit jaise legends ke bina aur Bumrah jaise players ka workload limit hone ke bawajood, Gill aur Pant par zimmedari hogi team ko sambhalne aur naye players ko guide karne ki.
Nateeja (Conclusion)
Shubman Gill ka captaincy lena aur Rishabh Pant ka vice-captain banna ek naye daur ki shuruaat hai Indian Test cricket ke liye. Bumrah ko rest dena ek strategic move hai taake woh apna bowling form barkarar rakh saken.
Gill ke liye yeh ek “learn on the job” moment hoga, jab woh overseas mein apni leadership aur batting dono ko test karenge. Pant ka x-factor hona, aur selectors ka unpe bharosa, is transition ko exciting banaata hai.
Sabki nazrein ab Headingley par hongi – 20 June se ek naye chapter ki shuruaat hogi.
