KL Rahul emerges as dark horse for India captaincy, Shubman Gill not even the vice-captain: MSK Prasad's selection team

It cannot be said with certainty what India's current selection committee of Ajit Agarkar (chief selector), Subroto Banerjee, Shiv Sundar Das, Sridharan Sharath and, Ajay Ratra are thinking about India's next Test captain but if multiple reports are to be believed then Shubman Gill is on the top of their minds. That is exactly the opposite of the thought process of the MSK Prasad-led former selection committee. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill(AFP)

The majority of Prasad's selection committee, which saw the glory days of India's test unit abroad, backed Jasprit Bumrah to take over the reins of India's Test side from Rohit Sharma, who retired from red-ball cricket earlier this month. Apart from former chief selector Prasad, the other members of the selection committee - Jatin Paranjpe, Devang Gandhi, and Gagan Khoda - did not even consider Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of India's Test side.

Prasad, Paranjpe, and Gandhi picked Bumrah as the Test captain despite huge concerns over his fitness. According to Khoda, the captaincy should go to KL Rahul, who has led India on foreign tours in the past.

"My captain would be Jasprit Bumrah as he has already proven himself as a leader. As far my vice-captain is concerned, I would like Shubman Gill to gain some experience as Bumrah's deputy. In case you have a problem with Bumrah's fitness then my choice is KL Rahul," Prasad told PTI.

Former India opener Devang Gandhi said Rishabh Pant should be the vice-captain purely because of his record as Test batter.

"For captaincy, it would be unfair if you don't consider Bumrah for leadership. As far as Bumrah deputy goes, this is the time to show faith in Rishabh Pant as he has the best Test average in the current set-up. I would carry six specialist pacers in UK knowing that I have enough back-up for a five-match series," he said.

"There is no one more ideal than Jasprit Bumrah to lead the national team in traditional format. My vice-captain would be Rishabh Pant, who has had a good record in SENA countries. Pant and KL Rahul are the two batters with two Test hundreds on English soil on their previous tours," said Paranjpe.

"KL (Rahul) is my captain and I would prefer Karun Nair as an extra batter," said Khoda.

Shami a no-brainer, take an extra batter in Shreyas Iyer or Karun Nair: Ex-selectors

There might be an air of doubt about Mohammed Shami's ability to last a five-Test series but the former selectors are unequivocal that the 'Amroha Express' is a must-pick for the tour of England..

Shami has played nine IPL games this season for Sunrisers Hyderabad with only six wickets in his kitty and has gone for over 11 runs per over.

However it has been learnt that Shami has already started bowling with the red Dukes at the SRH nets with an eye on England tour, now that SRH's play-off qualification hopes have been dashed.

The Indian squad, which is expected to comprise 16 members, will be one of the trickiest ones in recent times as there is a debate around who the new captain should be.

"As far as my assessment goes, Nitish Reddy's bowling will be more effective in England than it was in Australia. If we are taking 16, then I would want a left-arm swing bowler and my choice is Arshdeep Singh. I would like KL Rahul to bat No. 4 and my reserve opener would be Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasad added.

"I think it is surprising that there is a debate whether Mohammed Shami would make it to the Indian team. Unless he is carrying an injury. And IPL is not an indicator of someone's Test match form. You need someone of Shami's calibre in England. Obviously if he is not performing then you look at other options," Gandhi said.

"My extra batter will be Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has played a few Tests and at this point is in prime form. His technique and temperament both have undergone sea change. In my opinion, Iyer's selection is a no-brainer and he should also be a part of playing eleven. We need to play six (including Rishabh Pant) specialist batters at the start of the series," he added.

MSK Prasad's India Squad for England Tests

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 2. KL Rahul 3. Sai Sudharsan 4. Shubman Gill (vc) 5. Rishabh Pant 6. Ravindra Jadeja 7. Nitish Reddy 8. Kuldeep Yadav 9. Jasprit Bumrah (captain) 10. Mohd Siraj 11. Mohd Shami 12. Prasidh Krishna 13. Dhruv Jurel (wk) 14. Washington Sundar 15. Arshdeep Singh 16. Abhimanyu Easwaran.

Devang Gandhi's India Squad for England Tests:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 2. KL Rahul 3. Sai Sudharsan 4. Shubman Gill 5. Rishabh Pant (wk and VC) 6. Ravindra Jadeja 7. Nitish Reddy 8. Kuldeep Yadav 9 Jasprit Bumrah (captain) 10 Mohd Siraj 11 Mohd Shami 12. Prasidh Krishna 13. Harshit Rana 14. Arshdeep Singh 15. Dhruv Jurel (wk) 16. Shreyas Iyer.

Jatin Paranjpe's India Squad for England Tests:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 2. KL Rahul 3. Shubman Gill 4. B Sai Sudharsan 5. Shreyas Iyer 6. Sarfaraz Khan 7. Rishabh Pant (wk) 7. Shardul Thakur 8. Ravindra Jadeja 9. Kuldeep Yadav 10. Jasprit Bumrah (captain) 11. Prasidh Krishna 12. Mohammed Shami 13. Mohammed Siraj 14. Nitish Reddy 15. Arshdeep Singh 16. Dhruv Jurel (second wk).

Gagan Khoda's India Squad for England Tests:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 2. KL Rahul (c) 3. Sai Sudharsan 4. Shubman Gill (vc) 5. Pant 6. Ravindra Jadeja 7. Nitish Reddy 8. Kuldeep Yadav 9. Jasprit Bumrah (captain) 10. Mohammed Siraj 11. Mohammed Shami 12. Prasidh Krishna 13. Dhruv Jurel (wk) 14. Shardul thakur 15. Arshdeep Singh 16. Karun Nair.

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