Initially, Shubman Gill was given the vice-captaincy role for India's white-ball teams.
After missing out on a berth for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, India will next set their sights on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting next month.
However, it is understood that there is expected to be a minor change in the leadership group for the mega-event. While Rohit Sharma is confirmed to lead the side, he will now have a new deputy.
Initially, Shubman Gill was given the vice-captaincy role for India’s white-ball teams after the T20 World Cup 2024. Gill got the role after the Indian management overlooked Hardik Pandya, who served as Rohit Sharma’s deputy during both the 2024 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. Touted as the next T20I captain, Hardik wasn’t even appointed as vice-captain in any format.
As Shubman was appointed as deputy, he was expected to support Rohit during the Champions Trophy 2025 but it seems unlikely.
According to a TOI report, Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Jasprit Bumrah will be bestowed with the vice-captain’s role and complement Rohit in the decision-making process.
Jasprit Bumrah has previously been part of the leadership group in ODIs, having served as vice-captain under KL Rahul during the ODI series against South Africa in early 2022. He later made his T20I captaincy debut during the series against Ireland in 2023.
In Test cricket, Bumrah has been a member of the leadership group since 2022. His first stint as captain came during the one-off Test against England, and his latest was leading India in two matches of the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
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The BCCI is expected to announce the squads for the Champions Trophy 2025 and the preceding England series this week.
However, it is expected that Bumrah will be rested for the entire white-ball series against the Three Lions to manage his workload, especially after he had to walk off the field with back spasms during the final BGT Test.
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