R Sridhar and Shubman Gill. (Source – Twitter/X)
Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has backed Shubman Gill to replace Rohit Sharma as captain in future. The youngster recently led India against Zimbabwe after the T20 World Cup 2024 as under his leadership, the Men in Blue defeated the Chevrons 4-1 in the five-match T20I series. Soon after that, the selectors announced him as the new vice-captain of the team in white-ball cricket, while Suryakumar Yadav was named the new T20I captain.
Sridhar believes that Gill has all the qualities to lead India after the ODI World Cup 2027 and the process of the same has begun. The 54-year-old also briefly talked about Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been sensational for India in the recent past. The youngster was phenomenal in the five-match Test series against England and recently in the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
“On current form and going back to the potential they showed in the India-England Test series and even in the ODI games, I think these two are nailing their position in two formats, that is T20Is and Tests. Shubman Gill for me is an all-format player and I think he would be the apprentice to captain Rohit Sharma in Test matches and ODIs. I am sure India will see him as the captain post 2027 World Cup in all formats,” Sridhar told Hindustan Times.
As per reports, Gill is also being considered as a leader in Test cricket. Jasprit Bumrah was previously named as vice-captain and he also led the team in the rescheduled Test against England in 2022. However, the selectors and the team management are planning to prioritize his workload management, which may help Gill’s cause. More is expected to come to light when BCCI announce the squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, he is currently representing India in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. In two matches, the 24-year-old has scored 16 and 35 runs respectively.