Former all-rounder Suresh Raina recently picked the player who can lead the Indian national cricket team after veteran opener Rohit Sharma. Suresh Raina overlooked Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah to succeed Rohit Sharma as Indian captain.
Hardik Pandya is the vice-captain of the Indian white-ball team and has led the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma in 16 T20Is and three ODIs. Jasprit Bumrah acted as Rohit’s substitute in the Test series against England at home earlier this year. KL Rahul also led the team on a few occasions.
Bumrah led India in a Test match against England in 2022 and captained two T20Is against Ireland in August 2023. KL Rahul led Team India in all three formats – three Tests, 12 ODIs and one T20I. Rishabh Pant was named captain for a five-match T20I series against South Africa in 2022.
Shubman Gill to be next Indian captain: Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina believes that 24-year-old Indian batsman Shubman Gill has the potential to become the next captain of the Indian cricket team after Rohit Sharma. Raina made this prediction during an appearance on The Lallantop’s ‘Guest in the Newsroom’ show.
“I would say he will be the next Indian captain. Bann sakta hai vo (India captain after Rohit),” Raina said.
Shubman Gill earned recognition for his exceptional performance during the U-19 World Cup 2018. Gill is currently leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2024. He took over the captaincy after Hardik Pandya’s trade from the Titans to join the Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
The Punjab-born cricketer is yet to get the opportunity to captain the national team in any format of cricket. The opener is not currently in the pecking order for captaincy. Rohit Sharma’s future may be decided after the Indian team’s performance in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Gujarat Titans at 8th place in IPL 2024 table
Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans have managed just three wins in seven matches in the ongoing tournament. The Ahmedabad-based franchise is currently in eighth place in the standings, with six points and a net run rate (NRR) of -1.303.
The team was bowled out for just 89 runs in their previous match against the Delhi Capitals at home on April 17. The Rishabh Pant-led team chased down the target in just 8.5 overs. Gill managed to score only 8 runs in 6 deliveries in the recent match.
The Titans will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their next match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 10. The team hopes to recover to improve its chances of reaching the knockout stage of the tournament.
Gujarat Titans Team: Shubman Gill (c), David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore , Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Sandeep Warrier, BR Sharath.
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