From Rohit Sharma to KL Rahul, here are the top five candidates we feel could be in the race to take forward the baton from Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli will no longer captain Team India in Test cricket after he made his decision public on Saturday, and the search for Team India's next captain in red-ball cricket hence begins. There are a few obvious candidates, like Rohit Sharma, who is the current white-ball skipper and was recently promoted to vice-captain in the Test team by BCCI.
KL Rahul stepped out to captain Team India in Virat Kohli's absence in the second Test match in Johannesburg, and he could be in the running too. Then, there's Rishabh Pant, who is young and has all the traits to be a good leader as evident from his time as captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Here are the top 5 candidates who could be Virat Kohli's successor and Team India's next Test skipper:
1. Rohit Sharma
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Up first, the frontrunner, and the favourite to take over from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma would be the ideal candidate to replace Kohli as he has been in a rich vein of form in the longest format, and because of that, he was promoted by the BCCI as vice-captain of the Test team. He took over the mantle from Kohli in white-ball cricket as well, has a good track record as a leader and if not for his untimely injury, could have led India in the second Test match against South Africa itself.
2. KL Rahul
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One downside to giving the captaincy to Rohit is that he's already 34, so the BCCI could actually opt for someone younger, like KL Rahul. He has the backing of BCCI, as evident from the recent turn of events, and he's young. At 29, Rahul could be a good alternative to Rohit who is already headed towards the fag end of his career. KL Rahul would need a bit of grooming but he would be a good bet definitely.
(Picture Credits: BCCI Twitter handle)
3. Rishabh Pant
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Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant century in India's second innings in the third Test match versus South Africa and offers an even younger alternative to BCCI. Pant is only 24 and has taken a taste of leadership from his time with Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Stylistically, he's even similar to Kohli, as he likes an aggressive approach to the game, just like Kohli did. In short, he's got all the ingredients to be a good candidate as India's next Test captain.
4. Jasprit Bumrah
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Despite his young age Jasprit Bumrah has ample experience of playing red-ball cricket. He recently completed a haul of 100 Test wickets away from home against South Africa, and since making his debut in Tests in 2018, he's come a long way as a cricketer. BCCI also promoted him as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the upcoming ODI series versus the Proteas, so, there could be an outside chance for Bumrah to land the captaincy hat.
5. Ravichandran Ashwin
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Ravichandran Ashwin may have had a quiet tour of South Africa so far, but the all-rounder has a knack for contributing with both the willow and the ball when it comes to Test cricket. With 84 caps to his name, the veteran spinner is one of the most experienced personnel in the Indian dressing room and if the BCCI decided to hand over the reins to someone with lots of red-ball experience, Ashwin's name would be at the top of that list.
