Following the retirement of India Test captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill was named his replacement. With Jasprit Bumrah putting himself away from the leadership discussion, many assumed and thought that Rishabh Pant would be named Rohit’s replacement. But BCCI thought otherwise.
Although Pant was senior to Gill and had a much-distinguished Test career, the wicketkeeper was overlooked. It wasn’t that he wasn’t given any responsibility; Pant was named deputy to Gill. But he might have thought it was him who deserved it. One can’t forget that before his accident in December 2022, he was India’s Test vice-captain.
“We gel well,” Pant on relationship with Gill
But Pant has put it all aside. The end goal is common. Both Gill and Pant want to win and beat England in the upcoming 5-match series. The wicketkeeper says both of them have a off-the-field relationship. And that translated to them having good communication on the field as well.
“Me and Shubman have really good camaraderie, off the field especially. If you are good friends off the field, it eventually comes on the field. We gel well together and have conversations (regarding cricket) with each other. The kind of comfort zone we have. It’s going to be special,” Pant told the press in Leeds.
Pant also confirmed that it’ll be Gill who’s going to take over Virat Kohli’s number four position in the India vs England 1st Test. He will continue playing at number five. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the confirmed opener and KL Rahul, who opened in England last time and for India A recently, should be his partner.
As for the number three position, which was Gill’s for some time, Team India is still looking at every option. Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair are the two likely candidates, but Abhimanyu Easwaran is also an option.
