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After veteran India opener Rohit Sharma announced retirement from Test cricket on May 7, reports of Virat Kohli approaching the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to put down curtains to his illustrious Test career also surfaced, opening doors for new candidates in the side as well as the Indian Test team likely to see a new leader.
However, several reports have claimed that Shubman Gill is the front-runner to take the helm in the longest format after Jasprit Bumrah had requested to not take the leadership role as of now as he manages his workload after a long injury layoff. Moreover, star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is also being looked in to take the vice-captaincy reins in red-ball cricket.
Rishabh Pant likely to take replace Bumrah as Team India’s vice-captain
Several media houses have claimed that Pant is one of the finest Test batters in overseas conditions and can be the choice of vice-captain, seeing Bumrah, who can’t be considered due to his stature and with his fitness in iffy. “If Bumrah isn’t the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.
While a confirmation on the same is likely to come out later this month as the selection committee is in discussion to select the squad for the upcoming England tour, which is set to commence on June 20. Moreover, the BCCI is reportedly in talks with Virat Kohli to let him reconsider his Test retirement for now, seeing the upcoming series to be a key one. Moreover, the Indian cricket board feels that if Kohli continues to be in the side, Gill will also get some some to grow.
"It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series. This would have given Gill some time to grow into the leadership role, but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah's fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar's committee," a BCCI source privy to development told PTI. However, the BCCI has remained tight-lipped on the matter, it is likely to come out soon with the highly-anticipated series on cards.
