Former Australia captain and Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting has backed the BCCI’s choice to select Shubman Gill as the next Test captain of India ahead of veterans in the side like Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul. Ponting also said that captaincy seemed to be working well for Gill as evident with his performances in the IPL wehre the batter had led his side to the playoffs this year.
Ricky Ponting on Shubman Gill’s Test captaincy:
Speaking to The ICC Review about Gill’s captaincy, Ponting said, “I actually think it’s the right move,”
“I know there’s a lot of other people out there, pundits out there saying they can’t understand why it wasn’t Bumrah and why they have gone to Shubman, but I think it’s pretty simple.” Ponting added
When asked about the decision not to appoint Bumrah as the next India Test captain, Ponting said, “Bumrah’s injuries are holding him back a bit in the last couple of years and you don’t want that with a captain. You can’t have a captain coming in and missing games here and there, so I think it’s I think it’s the right decision.
“Now that they’ve made it, it’s one they’ve got to stick with and give him a good crack at it for, for a long period of time…Even just looking back at the way he’s handled this current GT (Gujarat Titans) team through this IPL, I think leadership sits really well with him.” Ponting further stated.
Notably, Gill was appointed India captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the team’s selection for the five-match series against England this month. The young captain will also have to do without Virat Kohli, who has also decided to quit Test cricket.
A transition phase has begun for the Indian team, and Gill, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, will have to work hard to fill these spots with new players.
As for Ponting, the Australian believes Gill will bat at number four for India, while Sai Sudarshan could open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with either KL Rahul or Karun Nair taking the number three spot.
