The BCCI have an important decision to make in the upcoming weeks as they look to appoint a successor to Virat Kohli as the captain of the Indian cricket team.
Kohli resigned from his role as Test skipper after a seven-year stint following India’s 2-1 defeat to South Africa in January, with the 33-year-old stating that he no longer could give his ‘120 %’ to his role as captain. Under his reign, India scaled unimaginable heights in the Test arena, winning two tours to Australia while also sitting atop the ICC rankings for over 40 months.
Kohli was the most successful Test captain in Indian history, winning 40 of his 68 Tests while also revolutionizing the Indian cricket team’s approach to fitness and pace-bowling. News from the BCCI states that Kohli’s successor is expected to be named ahead of the two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
While Rohit Sharma is the leading choice to fill Kohli’s shoes as skipper, here are the five possible candidates for the next Test captain of the Indian cricket team.
1. Rohit Sharma
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Despite missing the tour to South Africa due to a hamstring injury, Rohit Sharma replaced Ajinkya Rahane as Team India’s vice-captain in Tests ahead of that series, and the 34-year-old could be next in line to lead the team in the red ball arena. Rohit Sharma has established himself as one of the most pivotal players in the test team, playing crucial roles in India’s Test victories in Australia and England while also ending 2021 as their highest run-scorer.
Rohit Sharma also has an excellent record while captaining India in the shorter formats and has since gone on to replace Kohli permanently as skipper in ODI and T20I cricket, which would allow the BCCI to avoid the split-captaincy route if they appoint the opener.
The only red mark on his CV is his age, with the 34-year-old likely only to be a short-term solution to India’s captaincy conundrum, given that he is approaching the latter phase of his career.
2. KL Rahul
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KL Rahul has enjoyed a stellar return to the Indian cricket team in Tests since last August, scoring two centuries away from home in England and South Africa and cementing his place as the first-choice opener alongside Rohit Sharma. Rahul was also selected as vice-captain for the tour to South Africa, and the opener went on to make his debut as skipper in the second Test in Johannesburg after Kohli was forced to sit out due to back spasms.
Although his maiden outing as Test skipper did not go to plan, at 29-years-old Rahul represents a younger alternative to Rohit Sharma as captain, who is six years his senior.
3. Jasprit Bumrah
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Jasprit Bumrah was named as Indian vice-captain for the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg and was also KL Rahul’s deputy for the ODI series against the Proteas in January. Pat Cummins has already displayed that fast bowlers can be successful captains in the modern game – with the pacer leading Australia to a historic 4-0 Ashes victory last month – and India could follow suit by appointing Bumrah as the full-time skipper.
Although Bumrah has never captained a single match at the highest level, the fast bowler is already one of the most experienced members of the Indian team and is a certainty in the playing XI in all conditions, unlike other candidates. However, Bumrah has already missed plenty of Tests in his career due to rest and injuries, a factor which could count against him while appointing a successor to Virat Kohli.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin
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An outside choice for Virat Kohli’s successor in the longest format is all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who is widely regarded as one of the most analytical minds in the game. A veteran of 84 tests, Ashwin is the most experienced member of Team India alongside Kohli and has previously captained Tamil Nadu in first-class cricket.
Ashwin is also the number two ranked bowler in Tests and picked up the most wickets in red-ball cricket in 2021. However, despite his skills with both bat and ball, Ashwin isn’t a permanent fixture in the Indian XI away from home, with the all-rounder made to warm the bench in all four Tests in England in the summer of 2021 as Ravindra Jadeja played as the lone spinner in the side alongside four quicks.
5. Ajinkya Rahane
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Although Ajinkya Rahane’s stocks as a Test cricketer have tanked massively over the last 12 months, the batsman is still a capable leader in the longest format and has had tremendous success while captaining India. Rahane has won four and drawn two of his six Tests as India skipper, and the 33-year-old famously led India to a 2-1 series victory in Australia in 2021 while Virat Kohli was on paternity leave.
Although his credentials as a leader are unmatched, Rahane lost the vice-captaincy role to Rohit Sharma ahead of the South Africa series and may not be a guaranteed starter in the Indian cricket team considering his average of 20 in 13 Tests since 2021.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah