Sportstime247: Latest News,  Fantasy Tips, Results & Records
  • Cricket
  • Cricket World Cup 2023
  • Football
  • Other Sports
  • Events
    • Major League Soccer 2023
    • Cricket World Cup 2023
    • EPL 2023-24
    • Big Bash League 2023
    • CPL 2023
    • Asia Cup 2023
    • The Hundred 2023
    • MLC 2023
  • Fantasy Tips
No Result
View All Result
Sportstime247: Latest News,  Fantasy Tips, Results & Records

3 Players who were Better Options for Indian Test Captaincy than Shubman Gill

As India enters a new Test era, these three players offered stronger leadership resumes than Shubman Gill.

Rahul Chauhanby Rahul Chauhan
Reading Time: 3 mins read
May 25, 2025
22
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

On Saturday, the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee announced India’s Test squad for the England tour. Since Rohit Sharma recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, the captaincy baton had to be handed over to a new leader. Shubman Gill was one of the frontrunners, and as expected, he has been appointed as the 37th captain of the Indian Test team.

But is he really the perfect choice to lead Team India in the longest format? Or did India miss out on better, more deserving candidates? Let’s look at three players who might have been stronger options than Shubman Gill to lead India in Tests.

1. Ajinkya Rahane

While it’s true that Ajinkya Rahane has been out of the Indian Test squad since July 2023, his captaincy career has remained highly underrated. Between 2017 and 2021, he led India in six Test matches, in which India won four including the iconic Gabba victory in 2021. Under him, India didn’t lose a single match as the remaining two games ended in draws.

Despite this remarkable record, the selectors have only viewed him as a standby captain. Recently, Rahane has performed well in domestic cricket, both as a captain and as a player. Additionally, in IPL 2025, he led Kolkata Knight Riders in 12 matches, scoring 375 runs at an average of 37.

The upcoming England series is a crucial one, and Rahane could have been entrusted with the leadership. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill or another young candidate could have been groomed under his guidance for the future.

2. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is another name who has been sidelined from Test team after a brief backing. His Test career has been decent so far. 811 runs in 14 matches with 1 century, 5 fifties, and an average of nearly 37 is not a poor record. With Virat Kohli’s retirement from the No. 4 spot, Iyer’s skill set could have been the ideal replacement for India in that position.

Over the last few years, Iyer has emerged as a strong leader. His captaincy record in the IPL is quite impressive. He remains the only captain to have led Delhi Capitals to an IPL final (2020), guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a title win in 2024, and in IPL 2025, he led Punjab Kings to the playoffs after 11 long years.

He is in good form, has returned to BCCI’s annual contract list, and is currently at his captaincy peak. This could have been the perfect time to hand him the leadership role in Test cricket. While Shubman Gill has shown promise as a captain in IPL, his achievements in Test cricket so far haven’t been extraordinary enough to justify giving him the responsibility of leading India in the longest format.

3. Rishabh Pant

Despite being sold for ₹27 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, Rishabh Pant couldn’t make a major impact in the tournament. However, Test cricket is a completely different game and that’s where Pant truly stands out. While his ODI and T20I careers have been decent, it’s in the Test format that he has established himself as an extraordinary player in just seven years.

Pant has been India’s most impactful performer in overseas conditions. He has scored centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa, a record which no other Indian wicketkeeper has ever achieved. Today, he stands among the superstars of Test cricket.

ALSO READ: Did leaking Dressing Room Secrets lead to Sarfaraz Khan’s ouster from India vs England test series?

The selectors chose Shubman Gill as captain and handed Pant the role of vice-captain. It could have been the other way around—Pant as captain, with Gill groomed under him as vice-captain. After all, wicketkeeper-captains often prove highly effective, as they have a central view of the field and are involved in every move on the ground.

Tags: Ajinkya RahaneRishabh PantShreyas IyerShubman Gill
Rahul Chauhan

Rahul Chauhan

A sports enthusiast who follows Cricket and Football. I have been writing for SportsTime247 since 2019. I like to find stats and sometimes write articles regarding fantasy tips.

Related Posts

Credits: X photo
Cricket

Sanjay Manjrekar Criticises Ravindra Jadeja’s Approach after England Snatch a Thriller at Lord’s

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 15, 2025
Kapil Dev's 175 Not Out: India’s Most Important ODI Innings Ever?
Cricket

Kapil Dev’s 175 vs Zimbabwe: The Innings that changed Indian Cricket forever

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 14, 2025
Indw vs Engw: England will take on India for the 5 T20I at Edgbaston in Birmingham, here is the pitch report.
Cricket

Edgbaston Birmingham Pitch report for Eng Women vs Ind Women 5th T20I

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 12, 2025
Ravindera Jadeja hilariously teased English Player Joe Root.
Cricket

WATCH: Lord’s crowd boo Ravindra Jadeja after he savagely taunts Joe Root for Risky second run to complete his Century

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 12, 2025
Rishabh Pant got injured during the third test match against England, Dhruv Jurel Takes Over The Charge.
Cricket

WATCH: Dhruv Jurel Takes Over Wicketkeeping Duties as Rishabh Pant Walks Off Injured in Lord’s Test

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 10, 2025
Jofra archer replaces Josh Tongue for the India vs England 3rd test match of the series.
Cricket

England announce playing XI for Lord’s Test; Jofra Archer returns

by Chaithanya Gulapala
July 9, 2025

Latest

Credits: X photo

Sanjay Manjrekar Criticises Ravindra Jadeja’s Approach after England Snatch a Thriller at Lord’s

July 15, 2025
Kapil Dev's 175 Not Out: India’s Most Important ODI Innings Ever?

Kapil Dev’s 175 vs Zimbabwe: The Innings that changed Indian Cricket forever

July 14, 2025
Indw vs Engw: England will take on India for the 5 T20I at Edgbaston in Birmingham, here is the pitch report.

Edgbaston Birmingham Pitch report for Eng Women vs Ind Women 5th T20I

July 12, 2025
Ravindera Jadeja hilariously teased English Player Joe Root.

WATCH: Lord’s crowd boo Ravindra Jadeja after he savagely taunts Joe Root for Risky second run to complete his Century

July 12, 2025
Rishabh Pant got injured during the third test match against England, Dhruv Jurel Takes Over The Charge.

WATCH: Dhruv Jurel Takes Over Wicketkeeping Duties as Rishabh Pant Walks Off Injured in Lord’s Test

July 10, 2025
Jofra archer replaces Josh Tongue for the India vs England 3rd test match of the series.

England announce playing XI for Lord’s Test; Jofra Archer returns

July 9, 2025
Virat Kohli along with wife Anushkha Sharma attended Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon match.

Novak Djokovic reserves highest respect for Virat Kohli after Wimbledon victory over Alex de Minaur

July 8, 2025
MS Dhoni and Sakshi Dhoni celebrated 15th Anniversary

Sakshi Dhoni chips in with a priceless post on 15th wedding anniversary

July 5, 2025
Photo Credits- ECB X handle

WATCH: Shubman Gill Upset with Rishabh Pant After Reckless Dismissal in Edgbaston Test

July 4, 2025

WATCH: Shubman Gill snaps at Akash Deep after near run out in Edgbaston Test

July 4, 2025

News-Topics

Fantasy Tips

Latest News

Cricket News

Football News

Other Sports News

Events

IPL

The Hundred 2023

Caribbean Premier League 2023

English Premier League 2023-24

Asia Cup 2023

Big Bash League 2023

The Ashes

Site Links

Contact us

About us

Join us

Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

Terms & Conditions

Sitemap

Follow us

© 2021-23 Sportstime247.com All rights reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Cricket
  • Cricket World Cup 2023
  • Football
  • Other Sports
  • Events
    • Major League Soccer 2023
    • Cricket World Cup 2023
    • EPL 2023-24
    • Big Bash League 2023
    • CPL 2023
    • Asia Cup 2023
    • The Hundred 2023
    • MLC 2023
  • Fantasy Tips

© 2020-23 Sportstime247