Not Rishabh Pant: Jasprit Bumrah and this star batter in contention to become Test vice-captain

Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are reportedly the front-runners to become India's Test vice-captain for long term. The selectors are keen to appoint the new vice-captain as early as possible to make sure that India have a deputy for captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the Australia tour later this year.

Rohit is doubtful for the first Test of the five-match series against Australia. The first Test is scheduled to be played from November 22 in Perth and there is a good chance that India will be without their talismanic captain for the series opener. Rohit is likely to miss the Test owing to personal reasons.

Team India played their last Test series which was a two-match series against Bangladesh without a designated vice-captain. When the BCCI announced the squad in September, it did not mention the vice-captain for the series.

Jasprit Bumrah and Shubman Gill in race:

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batsman Shubman Gill are in contention to become the new Test vice-captain. The report stated that although there are some senior players such as KL Rahul and Virat Kohli who can lead the team in the first Test against Australia, the selectors are keen on grooming a successor for Rohit.

As a result, they want to appoint a vice-captain on a long-term basis. Jasprit Bumrah and Shubman Gill have emerged as favorites to be named as Rohit's deputy. Earlier this year when India hosted England for a five-Test series, Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain of the side. The India pace spearhead was also Rohit's deputy for the tour of South Africa.

Bumrah, who has never shied away from expressing his desire to lead the Test team, also captained the Indian team in the one-off Test against England in 2022. Rohit had missed that Test after being tested positive for Covid-19.

While many believe that Bumrah has all the credentials to replace Rohit as the next India Test captain, the situation is not very straightforward for the selectors. Bumrah needs his workload managed and it could mean resting him for certain Tests.

On the other hand, Gill is being viewed as a long-term candidate for India captaincy across formats. In July this year, he was named as India's vice-captain in both the white-ball formats ahead of several big names such as Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Bumrah. And the youngster has emerged as a favorite to be named as the vice-captain of the Test team too.

The report concluded by stating that even though the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel will make the official decision on vice-captaincy, it will do so only after consulting the BCCI top brass and the team management.