India’s most successful Test captain so far, the clock on Virat Kohli‘s time at the helm of affairs is ticking. After losing the World Test Championship, at max, Virat could be India’s Test captain until the ongoing cycle completes. Hence, the management should also prepare for grooming the player who will captain the Indian Test Team in the future. In this article, we take a look at five realistic options for the post.
1) Shubman Gill
Although he has not completely nailed down a spot in the Indian Test Team, Gill has the attributes to be a long-term red-ball opener for India. Going by his performances so far, Gill seems to have an attacking approach, which is complemented by a calm head on his shoulders.
This is the perfect recipe for a skipper material in the longest format. Moreover, having led in the Deodhar Trophy, Gill has a fair experience of being a captain. He was also the vice-captain when India won the U19 World Cup in 2018. Therefore, the Punjab cricketer is one of the cricketers who could captain the Indian Test Team in future.
2) Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has all but made his squad in the Test squad frozen, at least, for a few more years. Apart from his impact with the bat, Pant has also improved with his gloves. The only player under the age of 25 to clearly have a role in the team, Pant is one of the captaincy candidates for India’s Test Team.
The Delhi cricketer has decent experience as a captain in IPL and in the domestic circuit. With his skills, he is slightly unorthodox, but now and then, Pant has shown maturity when making decisions with the bat or behind the stumps. He has also aced a few DRS reviews so far. All this makes him a realistic option to become India’s future captain.
3) Shreyas Iyer
If not for the injury, Shreyas Iyer would have probably been on the tour to England. In fact, he could have made his debut, as well. After all, it is after impressing in the Ranji Trophy that Iyer got his chances. While he is likely to play Tests for India in the near future, he is certainly a candidate to captain the side in the future, as well.
Iyer also boasts of adequate captaincy experience to justify his case. Although in a different format, in IPL, the Mumbai cricketer enjoys a win-percentage of close to 58%. For his state squad Mumbai, too, Iyer has led a few games. This makes him one of the captaincy options for the management.
4) Jasprit Bumrah
India has had 33 Test captains so far and barring Anil Kumble recently, very few bowlers have held the coveted post. However, Jasprit Bumrah has got all the qualities to kickstart the trend again. There is not even an iota of doubt that Bumrah will lead India’s pace attack for many more years.
While he already has the experience as a player, he will have more games on his back as years progress. An undroppable player at the moment, Bumrah also has the respect of his teammates. He hardly wilts under pressure, and as seen recently, he is excellent in reading game situations and plotting collapses of the opposition. If he can work on his captaincy skills, Bumrah is a firm contender to captain the Indian Test Team in the future.
5) Prithvi Shaw
After a change in his technique, Prithvi Shaw has been unstoppable in domestic cricket and IPL. Following the Australia Tour, Prithvi was dropped from the Test squad. However, for the England Tour, Prithvi was picked as the replacement for Shubman Gill. Irrespective of his current situation in Team India, the Mumbai cricketer is certainly a long-term option to open for the squad in Tests.
Captaincy wise, too, Shaw is a good option. He has a U19 World Cup victory on his captaincy resume apart from the recent success in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as Mumbai’s skipper. A fearless cricketer, if Shaw does become India’s Test captain in the future, it will be exciting times for the team.
