What's new

Who should be India's next Test captain?

Who should be India's next Test captain?

  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .
S

Saj

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 1, 2001
Runs
96,129
Big shoes to fill after Virat Kohli's resignation as India's Test captain, but who do you think should be given the role?
 
Dhoni prepared kohli before leaving. But kohli's sudden resignation has meant there arent many contenders with enough experience+ good form combined. Has to be between rohit and ashwin but they are short term options for sure.
I think Rohit should lead India in all formats for now
 
Rohit Sharma.

Post-Rohit, making KL ever the captain will be the biggest mistake that won't anyway last too long. I'd go for Pant. Some might laugh, but I think he has a smart cricket brain and an unflappable attitude. A few years time that he will have until Rohit retires should be enough to smoothen out the edges :rabada2
 
Need to be Pant all the way now. Rohit also has got little time as age is catching up on him plus BCCI would not want him to burden test captaincy to him . Vice versa also should be fine where Pant can take ODI reigns.
 
Saj said:
Big shoes to fill after Virat Kohli's resignation as India's Test captain, but who do you think should be given the role?
Click to expand...

Indians don't have a good long-term replacement.

Maybe Sharma can work as a stopgap and maybe Rahul can play well enough consistently to actually be in the team. Lots of maybe there.

It will be interesting to see their pace unit performance in the next 4-5 years.
 
You'd think it would be Sharma but stranger things have happened.

Maybe they want different skippers for different formats.
 
long term pant would be the right option, he seems to have decent mental strength, an aggressive approach to the game, but is still young in his career. most likely sharma will do the job till pant takes over in 3 years or so.
 
Somebody who wasn’t playing during 152-0, I think mentally they will be fresher
 
Modi. Oh wait......

It's down hill for India from here regardless of who is the next captain.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Modi. Oh wait......

It's down hill for India from here regardless of who is the next captain.
Click to expand...

LOL, we have heard that all in the past. Nothing happened.

The Indian team is too strong to go downhill with one man going out, even if the man in question happens to be Virat Kohli.

They'll manage just fine.
 
gani999 said:
LOL, we have heard that all in the past. Nothing happened.

The Indian team is too strong to go downhill with one man going out, even if the man in question happens to be Virat Kohli.

They'll manage just fine.
Click to expand...

Indian team is not too strong. We all witnessed what happened in SA, WTC, CT17 etc.

Who is India's next superstar player? After Tendulkar it was clearly Kohli, who next? Who are MRF priming for their next sponsor?
 
Rohan said:
Start with out of box. Make Iyer captain as SA did with G. Smith.
Click to expand...

Make Washington Sundar as captain. He gets into the team in all conditions because he is good enough with bat alone and can bowl 15-20 overs as a spinner in a test match overseas.
 
Ab Fan said:
Make Washington Sundar as captain. He gets into the team in all conditions because he is good enough with bat alone and can bowl 15-20 overs as a spinner in a test match overseas.
Click to expand...

Bhai, is it sarcasm?
 
Technics 1210 said:
Indian team is not too strong. We all witnessed what happened in SA, WTC, CT17 etc.

Who is India's next superstar player? After Tendulkar it was clearly Kohli, who next? Who are MRF priming for their next sponsor?
Click to expand...

Shubhman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant...even KL Rahul has some years left...many contenders for MRF !
 
Bit soon for Pant yet I reckon.

Maybe in 2 or 3 years time.
 
Saj said:
Bit soon for Pant yet I reckon.

Maybe in 2 or 3 years time.
Click to expand...

India should follow something like SA did with young Smith. Give a long run. Initially, a captain may not do well, but if it works then he will have a long run.
 
Someone who doesn't allow his players to shout at the stump mic.
Who knows how to conduct himself on the field
 
ElRaja said:
long term pant would be the right option, he seems to have decent mental strength, an aggressive approach to the game, but is still young in his career. most likely sharma will do the job till pant takes over in 3 years or so.
Click to expand...

Yes, Pant will be 27 in 3 years. Rohit can be stop gap, but not sure he will be around in 3 years. He is older than Kohli. BCCI would want someone younger. They usually give long reigns to their captains. No chop and change captain strategy.
 
Sharma should be the most logical one, if they are to move in from Rahane and Pujara May be playing Sharma at 5 could be the answer for India.

Different captains can cause unexpected problems.

KL or Pant seen still too young but with Dravid at the helm you never know what they will be thinking.
 
Will almost certainly be KL Rahul. People must be joking when they say Rohit will become the test captain at 35.
 
Ab Fan said:
Make Washington Sundar as captain. He gets into the team in all conditions because he is good enough with bat alone and can bowl 15-20 overs as a spinner in a test match overseas.
Click to expand...

Outside India you will play only one spinner, with Ashwin and Jadeja around , Sundar will not get into XI

Sundar is well below the pecking order in White ball as well.
 
Rohit to me embodies what an Indian captain should be. I voted for him.

KL vice captain.

Sir Jadeja the dark horse? ;-)
 
Justcrazy said:
Outside India you will play only one spinner, with Ashwin and Jadeja around , Sundar will not get into XI

Sundar is well below the pecking order in White ball as well.
Click to expand...

Sundar is not a spinner. He is a batting spin A/R. Overseas, if I am looking for outputs from Ashwin, Jadeja and Washington, it will be:-

Ashwin Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 20
Jadeja Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 30
Washington Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 35

Now, tell me who fits better to the bill with four pacers in the XI? Ashwin and Jadeja in their 10 years of overseas career haven't produced a performance as better as Sundar did in his first test.
 
Last edited:
Rishabh/Bumrah both fit the bill, the only thing goes Pant's way is Bumrah will be rested now and again, so can he then captain?

At least for the next 2 years, barring the sole England test. India will be playing at home or have easy away assignments like WI/SL. So no point having Rohit as captain.

Rohit has his own issues where he's going to be handed an ODI/T20I team with T20 WC and 50 over WC back to back, so to then expect him to take over tests too, seems asking a bit much given his fitness/injury issues.

KL Rahul is 1 poor series away from being in the firing line with Gill/Agarwal/Shaw in the waiting. He hasn't established himself as test player yet.

So quite clearly Pant makes the most sense. And it's not like he won't have experienced heads around him. He will be leading a well established team while middle order is the only issue and have likes of Kohli, Ash and Rohit to guide him.
 
Ab Fan said:
Sundar is not a spinner. He is a batting spin A/R. Overseas, if I am looking for outputs from Ashwin, Jadeja and Washington, it will be:-

Ashwin Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 20
Jadeja Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 30
Washington Bowl AVG 40, Bat AVG 35

Now, tell me who fits better to the bill with four pacers in the XI? Ashwin and Jadeja in their 10 years of overseas career haven't produced a performance as better as Sundar did in his first test.
Click to expand...

What's the sample size for each player
 
Rohit should be the captain.

I would've said Rahane but he probably doesn't deserve a place in the team.
 
If not Rohit, I think Pant is also not a bad option.

India made MSD captain when he was young. South Africa did the same with Graeme Smith.
 
Bewal Express said:
What's the sample size for each player
Click to expand...

Numbers and stats are there on internet for anyone to see.I believe in contributing through what I see and can analyse based on my watching of the game. Those are the outputs you would get taking into context several factors and keeping all factors equal.

It is not a random thought like your opinion was on Rabada which didn't took too long to get misfired :afridi
 
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar wants Rishabh Pant to succeed Virat Kohli as the next India Test captain as he believes a sense of responsibility will make the glovesman a better cricketer in all forms of the game. Kohli surprised the cricket fraternity by quitting Test captaincy on Saturday evening, a day after losing the Test series in South Africa 1-2 to draw the curtains on a successful seven-year reign. Gavaskar said he preferred Pant as he is an automatic choice for selectors across all formats of the game.

"It's going to be quite a debate as far as the selection committee is concerned as to who should be taking Indian cricket forward. First of all, it should be someone who is an automatic pick across all formats of the game. Once that happens, it will be a lot easier," Gavaskar told India Today.

"If you ask me, I am still staying, I would look at Rishabh Pant as next India captain.

"For one reason only, just like Rohit Sharma was given the captaincy of Mumbai Indians when Ricky Ponting stepped down, look at the change in his batting after that. Suddenly the responsibility of being captain made him convert those beautiful cameos of 30s, 40s and 50s into hundreds, 150s and 200s.

"I think that sense of responsibility given to Rishabh Pant will help him score many more of that wonderful hundred he scored at Newlands," he added.

Further explaining the rationale behind his pick, Gavaskar cited the example of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who achieved great success after taking over the captaincy at a very young age.

"Yes, I am saying that. Tiger Pataudi was captain at the age of 21 under adverse circumstances when Nari Contractor was injured. Look what he did after that. He took to captaincy like duck to water.

"I think what we have seen with Rishabh Pant as the captain of Delhi Capitals in the IPL, I do believe he has the capability of taking Indian cricket forward and making it a very exciting team to watch," he said.

Limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma has emerged as the front-runner to take over Test captaincy from Kohli although he was not part of the South Africa series due to an injury. Rohit was recently made Test vice-captain, replacing Ajinkya Rahane. In Rohit's absence, KL Rahul was Kohli's deputy in South Africa.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sun...o-succeed-virat-kohli-as-test-skipper-2711129
 
Ab Fan said:
Numbers and stats are there on internet for anyone to see.I believe in contributing through what I see and can analyse based on my watching of the game. Those are the outputs you would get taking into context several factors and keeping all factors equal.

It is not a random thought like your opinion was on Rabada which didn't took too long to get misfired :afridi
Click to expand...

That's a very defensive reply because if you use stats you have to put them in context.

As far as My Rabada criticism was concerned- it was spot on and then everyone picked it up,which was the reason why he started to bowl with more focus and anger- Elgar said as much. What I write is read by people in high places(:qdkcheeky) and although he bowled well, I am not convinced all the issues are solved as you will see when he gets on to flat wickets. I see things that you don't.
 
Bewal Express said:
<B>That's a very defensive reply because if you use stats you have to put them in context</B>.

As far as My Rabada criticism was concerned- it was spot on and then everyone picked it up,which was the reason why he started to bowl with more focus and anger- Elgar said as much. What I write is read by people in high places(:qdkcheeky) and although he bowled well, I am not convinced all the issues are solved as you will see when he gets on to flat wickets. I see things that you don't.
Click to expand...

No, I didn't used any stats there. If you read my post above, I said if we look in terms of output of what we will get from these three in overseas conditions taking every factor into context, then what we will get was shown through stats.

Regarding the second point, "waiting to see him on flat wicket" thing is quite hilarious. Small dips are part and parcel of everyone's career, as they say, form is temporary but class is permanent.
 
Ab Fan said:
No, I didn't used any stats there. If you read my post above, I said if we look in terms of output of what we will get from these three in overseas conditions taking every factor into context, then what we will get was shown through stats.

Regarding the second point, "waiting to see him on flat wicket" thing is quite hilarious. Small dips are part and parcel of everyone's career, as they say, form is temporary but class is permanent.
Click to expand...

All I asked you was to show the stats in context and you got worried as you would do when you know that you misused a set of stats.
As far as Rabada is concerned, I was right and everyone has said what I said but didn't have the courage to say it. Elgar apparently had to have a word, why have the word if Centurion was one off . Lol
Rabada has struggled for rhythm ever since the Australian series and I am telling you that all is still not well even though he bowled well on helpful wickets. I never said Rabada had become a bad bowler and he was still solid.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
IMMY69 said:
Someone who doesn't allow his players to shout at the stump mic.
Who knows how to conduct himself on the field
Click to expand...

Fair point.

Otherwise we will see more ridiculous behaviour like we did against South Africa.
 
I doubt any of the names discussed are dying to be the test captain, whether sharma or Rahul or pant. Kohli was driven to build his own legacy and hence was desperate to have a good overseas record. I don't think any Indian cricketer is so driven to build a test legacy when there's more to loose than gain. Away series victories are going to more difficult than what they had been and there's more chance to loose series in SENA than win, so there's really not much that come with the captaincy now. We can speculate but put yourself in the shoes of these cricketers and ask what would you prefer - IPL captaincy and part of ODI team or to be the captain of a dying format with added pressure, which is played by 5-6 countries anyway.
 
Last edited:
happydavy said:
I doubt any of the names discussed are dying to be the test captain, whether sharma or Rahul or pant. Kohli was driven to build his own legacy and hence was desperate to have a good overseas record. I don't think any Indian cricketer is so driven to build a test legacy when there's more to loose than gain. Away series victories are going to more difficult than what they had been and there's more chance to loose series in SENA than win, so there's really not much that come with the captaincy now. We can speculate but put yourself in the shoes of these cricketers and ask what would you prefer - IPL captaincy and part of ODI team or to be the captain of a dying format with added pressure, which is played by 5-6 countries anyway.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why the fans that criticize Kohli are short-sighted and not aware of the big picture facing Test cricket, the fact that he was so passionate about Test cricket should not be underestimated. He's the biggest reason (and to some extent Shastri) that India clearly prioritized Test performances over white ball cricket. This is arguably the first time this happened since the 1983 World Cup.
 
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on Monday said he is not averse to leading the national team if an opportunity comes knocking at his door in the near future. With Virat Kohli's captaincy tenure in all formats coming to an end following his resignation from Test leadership, there are questions about who could be his long-term successor considering that Rohit Sharma will be 35 next year.

"If given an opportunity, it will be an honour and I don't see any player would say no and I am no different. Be it any leadership group, I always look to contribute however I can, to the best of my abilities," Bumrah replied to a query from PTI in a press conference ahead of the ODI series against South Africa starting Wednesday.

Bumrah would be the vice-captain during the series and said taking responsibility and helping teammates comes naturally to him.

"I look at this situation in the same manner...taking responsibility and talking to players and helping them out has always been my approach and it will always be my approach going further keeping any situation in mind."

Bumrah also that the team respects Kohli's decision to give up Test captaincy and was duly informed by the star batter.

https://sports.ndtv.com/south-afric...onour-to-captain-india-jasprit-bumrah-2712834
 
Five candidates to replace Rohit as India's next Test captain

The sudden retirement of long-time skipper Rohit Sharma leaves India with a big decision to make as they get set to begin the next ICC World Test Championship cycle with a five-match Test series in England.

While replacing someone as talented and reliable as Rohit is difficult, India do have some high quality cricketers they can call on when deciding who will become their next Test captain.

We look at five potential candidates to replace Rohit and become India's next Test captain:

Jasprit Bumrah

There is no doubt that Bumrah is the premier fast bowler in Test cricket and the ICC Test Bowler Rankings only further prove this point, but some question marks remain whether he is the best option to replace Rohit.

Bumrah has already captained India at Test level on three occasions - for one win and two losses - and stepped in admirably for Rohit twice during the recent tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While Bumrah has shown he can do the job, the knock on the champion fast bowler is whether his body will be able to stand up to the rigours of Test cricket and long five-match series at this stage of his career.

Already we have seen Bumrah miss large portions of cricket due to injury and this might make selectors think twice whether he can do the job with aplomb on a full-time basis going forward.

Shubman Gill

Gill has long been seen as a future captaincy candidate at Test level and his tactical nous in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans shows that perhaps in time this will come to fruition.

But just like Bumrah, there are some concerns on Gill and whether he is quite ready to step up at this stage of his career and take the top job on a full-time basis.

Remember Gill failed with the bat in both innings of the 2023 ICC World Test Championship Final and was overlooked for two of the five Tests during the recent tour of Australia as selectors opted for a slightly different look to their top-order.

While no one can doubt Gill's class with the bat, his record outside India isn't great with the right-hander boasting a Test average of just 29.50 away from home in comparison to a more respectable 42.03 on home soil.

One of Rohit's greatest strengths was his consistency at the highest level and Gill might be some time off being able to replicate this and selectors may decide he is not quite ready for the extra burden as Test skipper.

KL Rahul

Just like Bumrah, Rahul has also previously captained India on three occasions and his record is slightly better than the star quick as he has two wins to his name as Test skipper.

Rahul has rarely let his country down in the past and seems to be maturing as a player in recent times and finished as his side's third leading run-scorer during the recent series defeat in Australia.

He has experience as captain with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and could easily step up and perform the role as Test captain with ease.

Shreyas Iyer

While Iyer may be considered a left-field choice to become India's next Test captain, the 30-year-old has certainly displayed some excellent leadership traits as skipper over the past two IPL seasons.

Having captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to a win last year, Iyer has Punjab playing with plenty of pizazz alongside new coach and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, and could perhaps initial a similar type of confidence should India take a chance and hand him the captaincy reins at Test level.

The negative is Iyer hasn't played Test cricket for more than 15 months and is not considered a walk-up start to India's Test side despite his excellent recent form against the white-ball and at the IPL.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri recently suggested on The ICC Review that Iyer may be in contention for a Test recall for the upcoming tour of England and the lure of captaincy could further propel his game should selectors take a chance on the star right-hander.

Rishabh Pant

A more conservative choice would be to hand Pant the chance to captain India at Test level and India's first choice wicket-keeper has displayed excellent leadership nous throughout his international and domestic career.

Rohit was an attacking Test captain for the majority of his red-ball career and Pant would likely continue this theme given all the traits he displays when at the crease and has shown when leading sides in the past.

Pant captained India for five T20Is against South Africa back in 2022 and has plenty of experience in leading teams at IPL level with recent captaincy stints with the Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.

A recent downturn of form with the bat at the ongoing IPL might be of some concern for selectors, but Pant averages a more than handy 42.11 at Test level and four of his six Test centuries have come away from home.

ICC
 
Even the strongest Indian and Aus test teams of last decade have only been able to draw series in England.

With transition batting and bowling, looks like India heading for disaster result.

Quite unlikely to get results but it will be good if atleast 2 young batters and 1 new seamer can show that they are Test class.

Hoping for Jaiswal, Sudarshan and Prasidh/Akashdeep to shine
 
I hope its Shubhman.....Give him a run for about 2-3 years, make Yash Jaiswal the VC and should step in if Gill proves inept at the job.
The big pic guy i feel most suited is Yash Dhull, former u-19 captain....i dont follow ipl - dont know his stats but hoep hei si still inthe picture and scorign big in domestics- he is a potential leader to take us forward...
 
Gill is the best choice right now. After Sharma , he will be a permanent opener along with Jaiswal.
 
For the England series it would be best to go with Bumrah as captain and Gill as VC.

This is likely going to be a poor result tour (4-1 types) and Bumrah will likely not play entire series.
Gill can take over in matches where Bumrah is rested/injured while being deputy throughout.

The stigma of the loss result can also be dissipated between both players. Bumrah is a a big enough legend and individual performer to shrug off adverse results and also Gill will not have his name tarnished or excess pressure be put because of team results
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

RyanRyan10
Should Haris Rauf be Pakistan’s next white-ball captain?
Replies
48
Views
747
sugumarrising
S
FearlessRoar
  • Poll Poll
Should Shan Masood be replaced as Test captain?
Replies
41
Views
751
Cricket Warrior
Cricket Warrior
FearlessRoar
  • Poll Poll
If Shan Masood steps down, who can be the next Test captain of Pakistan?
2
Replies
100
Views
1K
chinaman00
C
RidiculousMan
Rohit Sharma: The captain who ended India’s Trophy drought
Replies
41
Views
1K
Ball Blazer
Ball Blazer
D
Who should be the next white-ball captain for India?
2 3
Replies
171
Views
4K
ufcfan
U
Back
Top