IPL 2023: Shubman Gill is India’s future captain, says Harbhajan Singh

Former Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh has named Shubman Gill as the future captain of the Indian cricket team.

Speaking about India's future generation in the international arena, Harbhajan said that the future looks bright for Men in Blue as they have a superb pool of talent. The former Indian spinner also called Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal as the most impressive player of the underway Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Harbhajan believes that the RR batter will soon represent Team India at the highest level.

“If we are talking about batsmen, then I can say that Shubhman Gill has the potential. Along with him, I think Yashasvi too has the potential to be the future of India. I think Yashasvi is this year’s most impressive player and in the years to come he will definitely play for Team India. Shubhman Gill will also be there, maybe he will be the captain as well," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.

The ongoing IPL season has seen a number of uncapped players doing well, including the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma have made a strong impact in the 2023 campaign.

“If we look at the current form, and if we want to go in the direction of youth, then Yashasvi is the best option available. When we lost the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year, then there was much speculation that we should build a team around youngsters. Without saying anyone’s name on who should be left out of the squad, I think Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Shubhman Gill, under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, there should be a new team all together," Harbhajan provided names for future India players.

Adding further, Harbhajan opined that Hardik Pandya should take over captaincy from Rohit Sharma and Team India should rebuild their squad.

"Hardik should be captain, and Yashasvi and Gill should open the batting, along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma and Nitish Rana, then this team will have a lot of potential,” Harbhajan concluded.

Hardik-led Gujarat Titans (GT) suffered a 15-run loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday. MS Dhoni’s CSK qualified for a record-extending 10th IPL final, while defending champions GT will get another shot at the grand finale.

The Eliminator fixture between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is currently underway at Chepauk Stadium. The winner of the game will face off against GT to book a place in the final.

Meanwhile, CSK skipper Dhoni on Tuesday said he had “ample time to decide” if he would return to play for CSK in the IPL next year. There have been several speculations about Dhoni’s future but the CSK skipper has never given a definite answer.

“I don't know, I have 8-9 months to decide. I have ample time to decide. The auction is in December. I will always come to CSK. I have been out of home from January, been practicing since March, so we will see,” said Dhoni after CSK’s win.

IPL 2023 final is scheduled to take place on May 28 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

With 722 runs, Gill is the second leading scorer in the IPL 2023, just eight runs behind Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis. With RCB out and GT having at least one more game, Gill has a chance to go ahead in the Orange Cap race.