3 reasons why Shubman Gill should not be India’s Test vice-captain

Team India is set to tour England for a five-match Test series after the Indian Premier League (IPL) ends. According to a report that was carried by the Times of India, it has come to light that Shubman Gill might be appointed as the new vice-captain of the side. In yet another report that was carried by The Indian Express, Jasprit Bumrah may not be retained as the vice-captain of the Test side. 

The Indian Express spoke to an unnamed source in BCCI who said, “We want a player who will be available for all five Test matches, and he should be given the vice-captain's role. Bumrah won't be playing all five matches, so we don't want to appoint different deputies for different games. It will be better if the captain and vice-captain are certain and play all five Tests”. 

It is to be noted that Bumrah was the vice-captain during the tour of Australia. It was under Bumrah’s captaincy that India won the Perth Test. When Rohit Sharma opted out of the Sydney Test, it was Bumrah who took over as the captain and kept India in the game with his brilliance. 

Here are the three reasons why Shubman Gill shouldn’t be made vice-captain of India’s Test team

3- Irregular starter in away Tests 

Shubman Gill has an impeccable record in home Test matches, but his numbers away from home aren’t that great. In 17 Tests at home, Gill has scored 1177 runs with four centuries and five fifties with an average of 42. This number drastically falls in away games where Shubman Gill has played 15 games and scored just 716 runs with one ton and two fifties with an average just under 28. Gill’s only ton away from home came in Bangladesh in December 2022. The right-handed batter has played three Tests in England and scored just 88 runs with a best of 28, with an average of 14. 

2- Lack of experience in international captaincy 

In 2024, Shubman Gill was named the captain of the Gujarat Titans and had a poor time as a skipper. For the first time since their entry into the IPL, the Titans had failed to make it past the group stage. This was followed by Gill leading India in the T20I series away to Zimbabwe, where the T20I World Cup winners won the series 4-1. Barring this sojourn, Gill doesn’t have much leadership experience in international cricket. While the 25-year-old is seen as a future leader, handing Gill the vice-captaincy on such a difficult tour of England could turn out to be a huge risk. 

1- Better candidates available 

Jasprit Bumrah may be seen as a risk by Indian selectors considering his injury record. One cannot forget the experience that the Indian team possess as far as senior players are concerned. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are two players who have considerable captaincy experience. KL Rahul, in particular, has led India in a few Test matches when Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma weren’t fit. Rishabh Pant may be having a tough time leading in the IPL but his overall experience as a Test player cannot be counted out.