As India put together for his or her much-anticipated five-match Take a look at collection in England beginning June 20 at Headingley, the absence of two stalwarts—Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—casts an extended shadow. Each veterans lately bid farewell to Take a look at cricket, marking the tip of an period for India within the longest format. Their departure leaves a major void, not simply by way of expertise and ability, but in addition in management and resilience beneath stress.
With over 20 years of mixed Take a look at expertise between them, Rohit and Kohli have been the spine of India’s batting and on-field technique. Their absence is anticipated to shift the steadiness in England’s favour, particularly because the collection additionally marks the start of the brand new 2025-2027 World Take a look at Championship (WTC) cycle.
Who leads India now? A brand new period beckons
The large query now looming over Indian cricket is: who steps into the captain’s footwear in Rohit’s absence? The selectors and staff administration discover themselves in a fragile place, balancing potential with stability.
Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India earlier than, stays a pretty choice as a result of his sharp cricketing thoughts and tactical consciousness. Nonetheless, there are issues over Bumrah’s harm document, which might forestall him from lasting by a bodily demanding five-Take a look at collection in English situations.
One other frontrunner is KL Rahul, who has captained India in varied codecs, however his inconsistent health and patchy Take a look at type would possibly weigh towards him. That leaves a promising, albeit inexperienced, candidate in Shubman Gill—who has already led Gujarat Titans within the IPL and proven composure past his years.
Additionally READ: Who will lead India in Tests after Rohit Sharma? Nasser Hussain names his favourite
Moeen Ali names the following Indian Take a look at captain
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali gave his views on the red-hot subject and reckoned that India would possibly hand over the captaincy reins to Gill for the collection. Talking on SkySports, Moeen famous that whereas Gill lacks captaincy expertise in Take a look at cricket, his temperament and tactical maturity make him a robust candidate.
“I feel will probably be Shubman Gill. Ideally, they’d favor Jasprit Bumrah, however as a result of his health challenges, Gill is a safer long-term choice. He has an excellent cricketing thoughts and has proven management qualities within the IPL,” Moeen mentioned.
Nonetheless, Moeen additionally highlighted the issue of captaining a staff in English situations, significantly for somebody taking over the position for the primary time, emphasizing the psychological and tactical challenges concerned. Nonetheless, he warned towards underestimating India, stating that even with out the skilled duo of Rohit and Kohli, the staff nonetheless possesses a robust and succesful batting unit that may pose severe threats.
“Main in England is rarely simple, particularly for somebody doing it for the primary time. However India shouldn’t be underestimated—regardless of lacking two giants, they nonetheless have a strong batting line-up,” added Moeen.
Additionally READ: Former selector MSK Prasad names the next Test captain of India after Rohit Sharma’s retirement
