India, May 25 -- As Shubman Gill prepares for his first assignment as India's Test captain, former cricketer Mohammed Kaif has offered a rather unusual suggestion: phone Ajinkya Rahane. Ending weeks of speculation, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Gill would lead the Test side in England, succeeding Rohit Sharma. With a young squad set to travel for the five-match series beginning June 20, Kaif believes the 25-year-old finds himself in a situation eerily similar to one Rahane faced in 2021, even as the latter was relatively more experienced at the time.

Back then, India were without regular captain Virat Kohli for most of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and a depleted squad was expected to crumble under Australian pressure. Instead...