Shubman Gill has experienced a challenging week. The prominent batsman was first excluded from the Indian playing XI for the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and now it appears he may also be relinquishing the captaincy of the Gujarat Titans for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This latter development, although speculative, was prompted by a brief tweet from the Titans.

Following the unexpected transfer of all-rounder Hardik Pandya back to the Mumbai Indians from Gujarat in December 2023, the 2021 champions appointed Gill as their new captain. This role was seen as a significant opportunity for the young player to demonstrate his potential as a future leader of the Indian national team. However, under his leadership, Gujarat finished in eighth place, securing only five victories out of 14 matches.

On Wednesday, Gujarat appeared to suggest they might be considering a change in leadership for IPL 2025. A post on X, previously known as Twitter, stated: "A clean slate. A new story." The speculation was further fueled by an accompanying image of Rashid Khan gazing at the blank slate.

An examination of Rashid Khan's qualifications as a captain

Rashid has served as captain on only two occasions during his distinguished IPL career, both while representing the Gujarat Titans. His inaugural match as captain took place in 2022 against the Chennai Super Kings, a contest that resulted in victory for his team. The second instance occurred in 2023 against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad, a match that is primarily remembered for Rinku Singh's remarkable performance in the final over against Yash Dayal, which ended in defeat for the Titans.

In total, Rashid has captained 67 matches in T20 cricket across six different teams, including the Afghanistan national team, achieving victory in 34 of those encounters. Additionally, he has led his national team in both ODI and Test formats, suggesting that should the Gujarat Titans opt for a leadership change, they would have a seasoned captain at the helm for IPL 2025.

Read Also: Mitchell Marsh Axed from Test XI as Beau Webster Set for Debut in Sydney

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!