Shubman Gill handpicked as India's ODI captain; Test captaincy future left hanging
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Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that Shubman Gill has the potential to be India's next ODI captain after Rohit Sharma. However, Chopra isn't convinced about Gill's Test form as yet and believes that India can have different captains for all three formats.
Shubman Gill is currently India's vice-captain in the ongoing Champions Trophy and is already seen as the future captain in the 50-over format. While there is no doubt about his leadership credentials, Gill's form in Test cricket hasn't been up to the mark so far.
Similarly, he hasn't been a constant part of India's T20I team as the selectors have preferred to have a separate team for the format given the workload of players. This leaves Gill with limited opportunities but he still remains a vital cog in India's ODI team.
Aakash Chopra casts doubts over Shubman Gill's Test form
While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra predicted Shubman Gill to be India's future captain in ODIs. However, he is doubtful for this role in Tests. He also feels that Gill will move down in the batting order to No. 4 in red-ball cricket once Virat Kohli bids farewell.
"There is no doubt he (Gill) could be, if we talk only about ODI cricket (On asked whether Gill will be India's next captain). I am not sure about Test cricket. Firstly, I feel he won't play at No. 3," said Chopra.
"He will go to No. 4. However, whether he will become the captain in the future, I have got no idea. I feel India are running fast towards three captains in the three formats," he added.
Gill has an excellent ODI record where he averages 62 currently. However, he is yet to transform his white-ball success in Test cricket. He has played 32 Tests so far and scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. He has shown glimpses of form but is yet to find consistency in red-ball cricket.
"Future great of ODI cricket" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill
Aakash Chopra predicted Shubman to have a stellar ODI career and hopes that the batter plays long enough to be great in this format. He picked Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah as India's T20I and Test captains respectively.
"In ODIs, Shubman Gill is your next candidate. There is no doubt about that because, in my opinion, he is going to be a future great of ODI cricket. I really hope that he plays 200-250 ODIs for sure and scores a lot of runs," Chopra exclaimed.
"One of the best of all times, he is that kind of a player. He is my captain for ODIs, no doubt. Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is and Jasprit Bumrah in Test cricket for now. Later, who knows. This is where we are heading actually," he noted.
Shubman Gill in CT 2025
Shubman Gill is having a brilliant Champions Trophy so far with valuable returns in both the matches. The 25-year-old scored a match-winning 101* off 129 balls in the first match against Bangladesh to help India win a crucial game.
In the second match against Pakistan, he scored 46 off 52 balls to give his team a flying start. Gill played aggressively in this knock and took apart Pakistan's premier bowler Shaheen Afridi by constantly moving his feet. Overall, he has scored 147 runs at a strike rate of 81.21.
