Not Shubman Gill or Jasprit Bumrah; Ex-India Coach Throws New Contender in Captaincy Race Ahead of England Tour

Ind vs Eng: There is so much speculation in and around who will lead the Indian Test squad now that Rohit Sharma has called it a day. Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India in the past in Rohit's absence, seemed to be the frontrunner initially. But, things have changed! As per multiple reports, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking for a yo9ung captain who can lead the side for a long time. 

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This also means Bumrah may not figure in that list. Most reports are confidently claiming the the next India Test captain will be Shubman Gill as he had a long chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir when he was in Delhi for an IPL match. 

Sanjay Bangar's Stunning Captaincy Choice

Bangar, who has been India's former batting coach, suggested the selectors should look at KL Rahul as a captaincy candidate. 

‘He can clearly play the entire cycle’

“He’s been a proven test battle, a lot of important runs at the top of the order for India. So he would play all the Test matches, and most of his hundreds or big scores have come in overseas matches. So there is no question mark on his ability in any conditions, for that matter. And he is young, he is not that old either. So when you are looking at a WTC cycle, it is a two-year cycle. I think Rahul at the moment is 31, 32. He can clearly play the entire cycle,” Bangar said on ESPNCricinfo. 

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“You would be mistaken if you were thinking really long term. Gill’s quite young. He’s got loads of cricket ahead of him, and he would also have attained that self-belief in his ability by doing well overseas. So that is a challenge for him to be doing that on a consistent basis. So he’s your long-term prospect, no doubt. But whether you want to elevate him immediately, I don’t really think that there is a reason to do that because you have KL Rahul,” he added.

Rahul is currently featuring in the ongoing season of the IPL. He is part of the Delhi Capitals unit.