'Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are very different': Comeback man Shardul Thakur sums up India’s new Test leadership duo

Shardul Thakur spoke in detail about Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as India's new Test leadership duo ahead of the England series.

Team India will enter a new era in Test cricket next month when the side kickstarts its fourth World Test Championship cycle with the five-match series against England. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the format, a new-look Indian team, led by Shubman Gill, will aim to make a positive start to the transitional era. Rishabh Pant has been named Gill's deputy, with the squad featuring two fresh call-ups in Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh. Additionally, Karun Nair makes a comeback after eight years, while veteran bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur also returns to the team.

Rishabh Pant (front) with Shubman Gill during India's home season in 2024 (PTI)

Shardul produced consistent performances in the domestic circuit for Mumbai in the previous season. With England's bowling conditions putting precedence on pace bowling, Shardul's skills with the ball, in addition to his exploits with the bat in the lower-middle order, made him a preferred candidate for the 18-member squad. During an interview with RevSportz, Shardul spoke about the possibility of playing under Gill and Pant, with whom he has shared the Test dressing room ever since their respective debuts in the format.

“They both are big players and the future of India for sure. They are very different in character – where Shubman is very serious and calm, a composed kind of person when it comes to the game, and Rishabh is a funny and lively guy. But this again is their USP in their own way. They have contributed to the game on the biggest and most crucial stages, and that makes them very promising players for the future of India,” Shardul said.

Both will assume leadership roles with ample experience in captaincy, albeit in white-ball formats. While Gill leads the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, Pant is the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants. The opener has also led India in a five-T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, while Pant captained the team during a series in the shortest format against South Africa in 2022.

India's squad for England tour

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav