The captaincy question for India in tests needs answering, and Ashwin can’t overlook Jadeja (Image via X/@ShubmanGill & Samayam Malayalam)

The retirement of Virat Kohli leaves a massive void in India’s Test cricket team. The squad hasn’t been announced yet, and there has been no confirmation as to who will lead India in the Test series against England, set to commence in June. While Kohli and Rohit Sharma leaving poses multiple questions, a few need immediate answering: who will be the new man to come in at the number 4 spot and who will be the new captain of this ‘new’, relatively inexperienced team? While the prominent discourse is that Gill appears to be the heir to both the number 4 spot and the captaincy, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that it is a massive role to function in. While the CSK man posed no questions as to Gill’s ability, he sincerely wished that ‘too much pressure’ isn’t put on the 25-year-old. In conversation with cricket journalist Vimal Kumar, Ashwin, on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, name-dropped Gill’s century in Dharamshala and a splendid outing against England in Ranchi as some of his most notable displays.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Diving deep into the captaincy question that looms large ahead of the England series, Ashwin said, “The most experienced person in the team is Ravindra Jadeja. If you’re willing to train a new guy for two years and then make him captain, Jadeja can do that for two years too. They (India) can even play him as vice-captain (under Jadeja). It will seem like I’m throwing in a wildcard.”

Adding to Jadeja’s case, the spinner added that every Indian player dreams of captaining India ever since they start representing the country. Furthermore, Ashwin cited Jadeja’s captaincy stint at CSK, although he did not continue for long in the role. Clarifying that he isn’t insisting on Jadeja to be chosen as skipper, Ashwin clarified that there’s no harm in considering the 36-year-old veteran for the role.

While the IPL does not equate to the Test format in any way, the Gujarat Titans have risen to the top of the IPL table under the youngster’s leadership. His ability to steer India against England, if chosen as captain, will largely determine the way Team India navigates this tricky transition.