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Shubman Gill (Source: X)
A young Indian team has travelled to Zimbabwe to play a 5-match T20I series, which starts on July 6 and will continue until July 14. While some players were stranded in the West Indies due to Hurricane Beryl, BCCI announced their replacement in the form of Jitesh Sharma, Sai Sudarshan, and Harshit Rana for the first two games.
While Sudarshan and Sharma have made their international debut, Rana is yet to get his maiden cap. Along with him, players like Tushar Deshpande, Riyan Parag, and Abhishek Sharma are also waiting for their caps. This might be the series for them since the team is relatively young, and some of the players are yet to join the team who were part of the World Cup squad, like Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
On the other hand, Sikandar Raza will be captaining the Zimbabwe side. The competition will be tough since both teams will play with young and inexperienced players. This is Shubman Gill's first tournament as captain of India, so it will be interesting to see his approach as a captain.
Was Shubman Gill the right choice to captain in the Zimbabwe series?
The most interesting question amidst the series will be: Is Shubman Gill the right choice for India as a captain? While the answers might be debatable, there are certain things that the selectors didn't keep in mind before handing over the captaincy to Gill. First and foremost, the presence of senior players like Sanju Samson, who has much more game experience and has captained several teams, including international matches.
While Samson's form might be a concern, giving him a chance could have been a good choice. Second, the presence of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the team, who had already captained India in the Asian Games 2023, where the team won the championship. Even though the matches were against teams like China, where cricket isn't that popular, his captaincy skills should have been judged.
Moreover, Gaikwad is an excellent player and plays some eye-pleasing quality shots. Plus, he has that calmness in him, which was evident during the IPL 2024 season, where CSK ended their campaign in the 5th position. Regarding captaincy, Gaikwad can be a far better option than Gill if they groom him well. Now that the selectors have shown their faith in the 24-year-old, the results of the Zimbabwe series will decide his future as a captain.