New Delhi. The Indian cricket team seems to be in a new crisis after losing the Test series to Australia. Team India needs a new captain, but there seems to be a lack of a suitable option for him. This situation has arisen for the first time in 10 years, when the Cricket Board (BCCI) will have to struggle to choose the captain. India now has to play the next Test match against England in June, in which Rohit is not sure to play.
By the time the Indian team plays the next test match, the current captain Rohit Sharma will have turned 38 years old. In such a situation, it should not be surprising if the Indian board enters this series with a new captain. As Sunil Gavaskar said after the Sydney Test, India should now start preparing for WTC 2025-27. If BCCI moves in this direction then it will have to choose a new captain.
WTC Schedule 2025-27: This time India will play half of its matches abroad, not Australia, England-New Zealand will become a threat.
Why has Hardik Pandya been banned? For what reason will you not be able to play the first match of IPL 2025?
Rohit sitting out due to poor form
Rohit Sharma did not play the test match against Australia due to poor form. After this, talks of his retirement started. However, Hitman has said that he will make a comeback, but it will not be so easy. For the WTC 2025-27 cycle, the Indian team would like to go with a new captain so that it does not have to think about leadership for at least the next two years.
Consensus on Bumrah but…
For the first time in 10 years, the Indian team is in such a situation when it needs a new captain and there is no universally accepted option for him. Altogether three names appear to be in the race for the captaincy of the Test team. The first name among these is that of Jasprit Bumrah. There will be no difficulty in reaching consensus on this name, but the Indian management will want to avoid this responsibility under their workload. Everyone saw that Bumrah left the Sydney Test incomplete due to fitness.
Captaincy snatched from Pandya on the basis of fitness
The Indian team management had snatched the captaincy of the T20 team from Hardik Pandya on the basis that he is not available in every match. His fitness remains under doubt. On this basis, despite the excellent record, Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain in place of Hardik Pandya. In such a situation, there is less possibility of Bumrah being made the regular captain of the Test team. Yes, he can definitely be given this responsibility for some time.
KL Rahul and Pant also in the race
If Bumrah is not made the captain, then KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant join the race for captaincy. Among these, KL Rahul keeps coming and going in the playing eleven. Yes, it is possible that if Rohit does not play, his opening spot may be confirmed. In such a situation, he can also be a contender for captaincy. The third name is Rishabh Pant. Being young, this name is a strong contender, but the way Gavaskar scolded Pant in the Melbourne Test, it seems that he needs to bring more seriousness in his game. Rohit Sharma had also said in the press conference that Pant needs to understand how to play at what time. In such a situation, it is possible that the selectors may want Pant to be given the captaincy after one or two years. Not now.
After Dhoni, Kohli and then Rohit…
Unlike the current situation of Team India, the last two captains were found very easily. When MS Dhoni left the captaincy in the middle of the series on Australia tour, everyone knew that the next captain would be Virat Kohli. Similarly, when the captaincy was snatched from Kohli, everyone knew that the next captain was Rohit Sharma. This time too, Jasprit Bumrah is the first choice in place of Rohit, but putting the responsibility on him can be risky. This is the reason why it may be difficult for the cricket board to choose a new captain.
Tags: Indian Cricket Team, jasprit bumrah, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Team india
FIRST PUBLISHED : January 6, 2025, 12:26 IST