\n
![\"close\"\/](\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\"){kind=icon}
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary questioned Shubman Gill’s<\/a> appointment as India’s new Test captain ahead of the crucial tour of England. Team India will take on England in five highly anticipated Tests, starting at Leeds on June 20.<\/p>\n With skipper Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests weeks before the tour, India appointed Gill as their Test captain. However, the 25-year-old has only captained the side once in his career – the T20I series in Zimbabwe last year.<\/p>\n Gill has impressed in the ongoing IPL, leading Gujarat Titans (GT) to the playoffs in his second season as captain.<\/p>\n Talking about Gill as the new Test captain, Tiwary said on Cricbuzz (via Hindustan Times):<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n “He was the second-best option. But how can someone who doesn’t even fit in the Playing XI be made captain? So I feel the logic here was that they looked at who the second-best option was, and that was Gill, and that is how it happened.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jasprit Bumrah<\/a> was deputy to Rohit Sharma as recently as the Australian tour late last year. However, the ace pacer’s injury concerns and possible workload management led to the selectors looking at a permanent option in Gill.<\/p>\n Gill has struggled to nail down a spot in India’s Test XI, having been dropped for two of the five Tests in India’s most recent series in Australia. He averages only 35.05 in his 32 Test appearances.<\/p>\n Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag agreed with the decision not to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as Test captain due to his injury concerns. However, Sehwag pointed to Rishabh Pant<\/a> as the next best option for red-ball captaincy ahead of Shubman Gill.<\/p>\n In response to Tiwary on the same Cricbuzz panel, Sehwag said:<\/p>\n “For a series, Bumrah is okay. But as a long-term option, you need to ask if India play 10 Tests in a year, will he be able to play all those matches? Or, how many matches can he play? That is a major factor in picking a captain. So that I feel was the right decision, because they felt they could not put that pressure and load on Bumrah. Tiwary said Gill is the second-best, but I feel that is Rishabh Pant, and Gill is the third-best.” (via aforementioned source).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Pant has been arguably India’s most impactful Test batter over the past half a decade. However, like Gill, Pant has led India in only five T20Is against South Africa in 2022.<\/p>\n“I feel that is Rishabh Pant, and Gill is the third-best” – Virender Sehwag on India’s Test captain<\/h2>\n