Gill-Pant duo set to take charge of Indian Test team, BCCI silent on Kohli
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): Flamboyant keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, in all likelihood, will be India's new vice-captain in Tests with talented batter Shubman Gill set to take charge of the national team in the traditional format.
The choice of vice-captain seems to be a straight forward one as Pant is one of India' finest Test batters in overseas conditions and Jasprit Bumrah can't be considered for the role of deputy due to his stature and also when his own fitness is iffy, making him uncertain for full series.
An average of 42 plus with hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa along with seven scores between 90 and 99 makes Pant of the best batters in the format.
"If Bumrah isn't the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy," a BCCI source told PTI.
While the cricket fraternity is taken aback by talismanic Virat Kohli's wish to retire from Test cricket, it has been learnt that selection committee did ponder over the idea of handing over leadership to him in England to allow Gill some more time to groom.
As of now, Kohli has not made any official announcement and it is believed that he will be requested to compete in the upcoming five Test series in England as his experience will be required in challenging conditions, especially when Rohit Sharma has also announced his Test retirement.
The BCCI however is tight-lipped on its conversation with Kohli with regards to his Test career. PTI reached out to chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia but they are yet to respond to the query.
"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 said.
It is understood that KL Rahul isn't being considered as an option as he is already 33 plus and consistency has been an issue with the Bengaluru player even though he was one of the better performers in Australia.
After 11 years of Test cricket an average of less than 35 in 50 games isn't impressive.
The Indian team for the tour of England will be announced during the end of third week of May while India A team will be announced early next week.
If there is one certainty among the rookies for the Test tour, it has to be Tamil Nadu southpaw Sai Sudharsan, who has made an impression. If all goes well, he will either open or come to bat at No.3.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
