The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been urged to hand the Test captaincy back to Virat Kohli — at least for the crucial tour of England. Amidst the growing chatter and speculation of Shubman Gill being anointed as India’s future captain in the longest format, former England skipper Michael Vaughan has proposed a different strategy.

According to Vaughan, Gill can remain the deputy while Kohli can lead the charge.

Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Vaughan wrote: "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 ..."

The comment has reignited discussions about Kohli’s potential return to captaincy, especially for high-stakes overseas tours.

While the cricket fraternity was shaken by the recent news of Kohli's wish to retire from Test cricket, a report in the news agency PTI claimed that the selection committee did ponder over the idea of handing over leadership to him in England to allow Gill some more time to groom.

"It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series. This would have given Gill some time to grow into leadership role but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah's fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar's committee," a BCCI source privy to development was quoted as saying by PTI.

Meanwhile, a report in The Times of India claimed that Kohli had requested BCCI for Test captaincy, but was refused by the board as they wanted a young leader, preferably Gill, to lead the side. "A new WTC cycle is starting. Future and continuity have to be kept in mind as far as the team is concerned. Even coach Gautam Gambhir would want a set of players he is likely to work with for an extended period. There can't be any stop-gap solutions for such an important series. The last two series haven't been ideal for the team and the England series is crucial," a source was quoted by TOI.

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