Ever since Rohit Sharma has retired from Tests, it seems, it’s a given that Shubman Gill will be given the captaincy, while Rishabh Pant will be his deputy. But for reasons galore, the move to appoint the 25-year-old as the captain doesn’t sound right. And there is logical explanation behind it too.
Shubman Gill The Batter Has Mediocre Numbers
This is a team which somehow will be devoid of stars now — and for starters, Shubman is yet to attain that stardom in the format. His numbers have been poor to say the least, in the 32 Tests he has played, after debuting almost five years back. 1,893 runs at an average of 35, with five tons and seven fifties don’t instill a lot of confidence.
| Matches | Runs | HS | Average | 100s | 50s | 0s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 1,893 | 128 | 35.05 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
Continuing the argument further — if a captain can’t come up with decent batting numbers, then how is he expected to lead from the front? Gill has a mediocre record against all the top Test teams. Against Australia, he has scored 537 runs at an average of 35, while against England it’s 37 in 10 games. He is visibly poor vs New Zealand, where he has scored 324 runs in 5 matches at an average of 32, and vs South Africa, the average plummets to only 18 in 2 encounters.
Struggles Further in SENA Countries
Abroad, he just gets even worse. In Australia, he has 352 runs in 6 matches at an average of 35, followed by average of 14 in England, and 18 in South Africa. In short, Gill has played 21 innings in SENA nations — and has scored 514 runs only and averages only 24.47, which should be enough to rule him out of the captaincy race.
| Country | Runs | HS | Average | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 352 | 91 | 35.20 | 0 | 2 |
| England | 88 | 28 | 14.66 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 74 | 36 | 18.50 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 514 | – | 24.47 | – | 2 |
What should also serve as a reminder to the management is, in Australia, he had a chance to redeem himself, but in three matches all he could manage was 93 runs at an average of 18, and a highest-score of 31. Look, no one is disputing the immense talent Shubman Gill possesses, but then added responsibility of the entire team might just add more pressure to him.
Performance Only Dipping Each Year
If we breakdown all his years in Test cricket — except for 2024, he only averages in his 20s. 2021 saw him score 478 runs at an average of 29. 2022 was similar at an average of 29, whereas 2023 saw him go to 28. This year, in one Test he has an average of 16. If these numbers are to be taken into consideration, the lad shouldn’t even be in the team.
And let’s just forget these numbers for a moment. IF we scan his captaincy record also, it isn’t the best, by any stretch of imagination. In the only FC match he has led Punjab, his side lost to Karnataka. Other notable side he has led is, in the IPL — GT — winning 13 matches from 23 played.
Now, what happens eventually, is a call to be taken by the BCCI. And one would hope that Gill, if appointed, takes the team to new heights, but then they should really have a plan B ready, in case the move doesn’t reap rewards.
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