"Which of the 2 can become the captain?" - Aakash Chopra gives his pecking order for India's future Test captain post BGT 2024-25

Former player Aakash Chopra has noted that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant could be in the race to be India's future Test captain. He pointed out that Shubman Gill, who was apparently being groomed for the role, seems to no longer be in contention.

India suffered a 1-3 defeat against Australia in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test series. Although Jasprit Bumrah led the team in the two Tests Rohit Sharma missed, his recurring back issues have raised doubts about whether he can be a long-term captain.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator observed that Jaiswal and Pant seem to be the frontrunners to become India's future Test captain.

"Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant - which of the two can become the captain? It's a beautiful question because, as per sources, Rohit has said that he will manage the team for a few months, but after that, you (the BCCI) can find whoever you want, and since there could be an injury issue with Bumrah, it's your wish," he said (7:30).

Chopra suggested that India should appoint a vice-captain, who can be groomed as a future leader if Bumrah can lead the side throughout the Test tour of England.

"I had a solution that we should see after six months. If Jasprit Bumrah captains the entire England tour, appoint a vice-captain properly because you have to groom him. Let's be very honest, when we won the T20 World Cup, it seemed like the grooming process was going very well," he observed.

The former India opener noted that Shubman Gill was seemingly being groomed for the role until he was dropped for the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

"Everything looked fine. Shubman Gill was being made the vice-captain. He was regularly being assigned that role and then suddenly Shubman Gill was dropped. So pressure was put on him as to what was happening as he is potentially not coming in the captaincy thoughts and is not coming in the T20 format at all," Chopra elaborated.

Gill captained a new-look Indian side in the T20I series against Zimbabwe after the 2024 T20 World Cup and was subsequently appointed the vice-captain for the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

However, the 25-year-old was left out of the playing XI for the BGT 2024-25 fourth Test. He returned for the final game in Syndey when Rohit stood down and wasn't picked for the upcoming T20I series against England.

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"You wonder whether Rishabh Pant could be the captain" - Aakash Chopra

Rishabh Pant had a middling Test tour of Australia. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that while Rishabh Pant seemed to be in the Indian think tank's thoughts, reports suggest the team management wasn't happy with his approach during BGT 2024-25.

"Then you wonder whether Rishabh Pant could be the captain. They had started thinking about Rishabh Pant but then, of course, that accident happened. Then he comes back and he is thought about, but then the reports came amid BGT that this approach won't work, it's enough. So forget Rishabh Pant as a captain, he is a player who cannot be depended upon," he said (8:25).

The analyst opined that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who seems to be in the race, should be allowed to mature a little more.

"Then it came out that Yashasvi Jaiswal might be a horse in the vice-captaincy race. I am saying - is it not too early? Long term, maybe yes, Yashasvi Jaiswal might be India's captain five years from now, and I will be happy for him, a wonderful kid, but it is too early. Let the kid play. Let him mature properly. There is no thumb rule that he cannot be made the captain but it will be too early," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra concluded by picking Shubman Gill and then Pant as his preferred captaincy candidates, with Jaiswal being the last among the trio.

"It seems like one camp is saying Rishabh Pant and the other is saying Yashasvi Jaiswal. If you want to choose one of the three, I will definitely go towards Shubman Gill, and go towards Rishabh Pant, and lastly go towards Yashasvi. Let the kid play with freedom for the next two or three years," he observed.

Gill will captain the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025. While Pant is expected to lead the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Jaiswal will play for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) under Sanju Samson's captaincy in the upcoming season of the prestigious league.