ENG vs IND: Test captain Shubman Gill confident in India squad despite Rohit and Kohli’s absence

Shubman Gill expresses confidence in Team India for the England tour despite the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He acknowledges the challenge of replacing the stalwarts but emphasizes the team's readiness.

The newly-appointed Team India Test captain, Shubman Gill, expressed his confidence in the squad despite the absence of two batting stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, for the upcoming England tour.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from their Test career before the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20, with the first match taking place at Headingly. Rohit Sharma was the first to call his time on red-ball cricket after he was removed from Test captaincy, and then Virat Kohli followed suit by announcing his retirement from his illustrious Test career.

After Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format of the game, the BCCI selectors appointed Shubman Gill as captain, with Rishabh Pant as vice-captain in Tests. This marks a new era of Indian Test cricket without three stalwarts - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin retired from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the Gabba Test in December last year.

Big shoes to fill, but the squad ready to take on England challenge

Speaking at the press conference, alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir, ahead of the India squad’s departure to England, Gill admitted that it is big shoes to fill left by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but the squad is ready to take on the new challenge in their absence.

“They served Indian cricket for so long. Of course, it's not easy to replace them. But there's no added pressure, pressure is part of every series,” the new India Test captain said.

“But it is not a different kind of pressure, all of us players are used to it," he added.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have left a huge void in India’s Test batting as the duo was the cornerstone of the line–up, delivering consistent performances for over a decade while taking the team through a golden era with their leadership.

Virat Kohli retired as the fourth-leading run-getter for Team India in Tests, amassing 9230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 centuries, at an average of 46 in 123 matches. Rohit Sharma finished his Test career with 4301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties, at an average of 40.57 in 67 matches.

Gill on his first reaction after being appointed as Test captain

Speaking about his Test captaincy, Shubman Gill stated he was ‘overwhelmed’ after he was appointed as India’s new skipper in red-ball, succeeding Rohit Sharma.

“It’s a huge responsibility,” Gill said during the media interaction in Mumbai.

“When I first found out, I was overwhelmed. But I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he added.

Shubman Gill has become the 37th Test captain for Team India and sixth since 2007 after MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma. Gill became the fourth youngest player after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Ravi Shastri to be named Test captain of Team India.

Shubman Gill on India’s batting order for the England series

Further speaking about India’s preparation for the England tour, Shubman Gill was asked about the team’s batting order, especially the No.4 spot, which was left by Virat Kohli following his Test retirement. He stated that the batting order has not been decided yet, and the call on the line-up will be taken after the intra-squad match.

“We have a 10-day camp in London, one intra-squad game, and we still have time to decide the batting order.”

It was reported that Shubman Gill is expected to take up the No.4 spot in the batting order, demoting from the top-order to fill the void left by Virat Kohli. Team India has a plethora of options for the top order.

The likes of Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and KL Rahul are all in contention to open the innings or slot into the top three, giving Team India management flexibility in constructing a stable and balanced batting line-up for challenging English conditions.