India’s Next Test Captain According To Google AI: The debate about whether Rohit Sharma should continue to lead India in Test cricket, and if not, then who should replace him at the helm has been sparked to life following India’s loss in the WTC Final 2023 to Australia at The Oval.
India went down by 209 runs against Australia to lose their second straight WTC Final, two years after losing to New Zealand in the WTC 2021 Final at Southampton.
Rohit was appointed the Test captain in early 2022 after Virat Kohli stepped down from the duties. Sharma was always a stop-gap solution given his age, and now, it has been reported by PTI that the BCCI could sack him as the Test skipper after the series in West Indies in July.
However, the BCCI and selectors are bereft of options, mainly because all three of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant are currently injured – these three have held leadership positions in the past couple of years and could have succeeded Rohit.
R Ashwin is another option, but he’s 36 and isn’t a certainty in India’s XI in places like England and South Africa. Ajinkya Rahane has just made his comeback to the side and needs to cement his place first.
Virat is a good option but would he reconsider the job given the strenuous circumstances he stepped down last year?
While fans and experts debate and ponder over who should be India’s next Test captain, Google’s AI, Bard, has some interesting answers.
According to Google AI, 23-year-old Shubman Gill is a strong candidate to succeed Rohit Sharma as Test captain
“Gill is another young and talented player who has a bright future ahead of him. He is a technically correct batsman who has a good temperament, and he has also shown leadership qualities in his short career. Gill would be a safe and steady choice to lead India in Test cricket,” Google’s AI, Bard, said.
Other options that the technology threw up are KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
“Rahul is a very experienced player who has been around the Indian team for a few years now. He is a very good batsman who can score runs in all conditions, and he is also a very good fielder. Rahul has captained Karnataka in domestic cricket and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League. He would be a very experienced and reliable choice to lead India in Test cricket.
“Pant is a young and exciting wicketkeeper-batsman who has already shown great leadership qualities in his short career. He has captained Delhi in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, and he has also led India in a few matches.Pant is a very aggressive batsman who loves to take on the opposition, and he is also a very good thinker about the game. He would be a very exciting choice to lead India in Test cricket,” it added.
