Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that Virat Kohli should be named India skipper for the upcoming series in England, with Gill as his deputy. Vaughan’s suggestions come just days after India captain Rohit Sharma announced his official retirement from Test cricket.

Since then, rumours have been rife that the BCCI are looking for a new leader for the Indian team, with Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah the frontrunners. Meanwhile, several reports have emerged in recent days suggesting that Kohli has also approached the BCCI about his willingness to step down from the longest format of the game.

“If I was India I would give the captaincy to Virat for the Test series in England .. Shubman Gill can be his VC for the tour .” Vaughan wrote in a post on X. 

Virat Kohli’s record as India captain: 

Notably, Kohli has a history of leading the Indian team, as he used to skipper the side before being replaced by Rohit Sharma in 2022. Under his leadership, India won 40 of their 68 Tests with a winning percentage of 58.82.

As a batsman too, Kohli remains one of the most prolific Test performers, having played 123 matches and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.9 with a highest score of 254*. The veteran batter has scored 31 half-centuries and 30 centuries in his career.

Kohli’s last outing for India was in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he failed to impress in the five Tests and was widely criticised for his inability to leave the ball outside off stump. If Kohli does decide to go to England, he will be tested on the familiar 4-5 stump line, which has long been an Achilles’ heel for him. However, with runs flowing for the 36 year old in the recent IPL season, he will go in as well prepared as possible for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle starting next month.