Rohit Sharma Test retirement: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah top contenders for India's new captain in red-ball cricket

The retirement of Rohit Sharma from red-ball cricket on Wednesday meant that BCCI will be looking for a new face as the Indian captain ahead of their tour of England next month. The 38-year-old made the announcement on Instagram in the middle of Indian Premier League.

“Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years,” Rohit wrote on his Instagram story with a photo of his Test cap.

Rohit's retirement came after his poor run with the bat in the Test series against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia. His last Test for India came in Melbourne during the fourth game in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year.

Why Shubman Gill looks perfect fit?

With the BCCI understood to be planning for long term, Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah have become the frontrunners to become the new Indian Test captain going forward. It is also learnt that the Indian management is keen to groom a younger captain under the guidance of Gautam Gambhir.

Referred to as the prince of Indian cricket, Gill looks to be the frontrunner to take up the responsibility. The right-hander is an all-format player for India and has also led against Zimbabwe in T20Is.

In fact, Gill was also named as the vice-captain during India's triumphant ICC Champions Trophy campaign, thus giving a clear indication that BCCI is nurturing Gill as to be the next Indian captain.

Gill, who now bats at No.3 in Tests, started as an opener initially. In 32 Tests, Gill has scored 1893 runs, including five centuries. He has also earned praise for his calm and composed leadership in IPL currently.

Why Jasprit Bumrah likely to miss on Test captaincy?

On the other hand, the chances of Bumrah not being given the Test captaincy are likely considering the pacer's history of back injuries. However, Bumrah was India's vice-captain in Tests during the Australian tour and even led in two games, winning in Perth.

With Bumrah's workload management is on top priority for the BCCI, the fast bowler becoming India's solution for long term looks a bit dicey. Having said that, Bumrah's candidature can't be ignored.