He has led India in Tests in 2022.
Just before the frenzy of the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the world of cricket was hit by a major blow. Former India skipper Rohit Sharma decided to hang up his boots in Tests. This has opened up a wealth of captaincy options for the Indian squad, leaving us spoilt for choice in the longest format of the game. Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant are among the few names being considered. Meanwhile, a relatively senior player, KL Rahul, is being overlooked.
Making his Test debut in 2014, the Bengaluru batter has made 3,257 runs in 101 innings at an average of 33.57. His heroics include eight centuries and 17 half-centuries. He has a balance of experience and ample cricket left in him to be a fitting choice for India’s captaincy. However, a PTI report says otherwise.
“It is understood that KL Rahul isn’t being considered as an option, as he is already 33 plus, and consistency has been an issue with the Bengaluru player even though he was one of the better performers in Australia,” the report read.
Rahul was indeed one of the few batters who performed well in an otherwise disappointing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He accumulated 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.66. He was the third-highest run-getter for India behind Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Another noteworthy feature of this player is that Rahul is also a wicketkeeper with no fixed position in the line-up. During the BGT, he opened the innings as well as batted at No.3 in one of the games. He is also comfortable at No.4 as his position is worked around the availability of other players in the mix. Though hurtful, it is understandable that the 33-year-old will not get another responsibility, especially with Gill on his way to becoming Rohit’s successor.
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Previously, Rahul has led India in three matches, all of them in 2022. His first project was against South Africa in Johannesburg when Virat Kohli had to sit out due to a back spasm. India lost that match as well the series.
However, Rahul won his next two assignments. India won the two Tests under Rahul’s captaincy in Bangladesh after losing the ODI series under Rohit’s captaincy.
In the meantime, it is reported that Shubman Gill held discussions with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the future direction of India’s Test team. The upcoming five-match Test series against England is set to begin on June 20.
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