Potential Candidates to Lead Team India in Rohit Sharma's Absence: Will Virat Kohli Make a Comeback or Will Jasprit Bumrah Take Charge?

New Delhi: Team India is set to take on the 2023 ODI World Cup champions Australia in a grueling five-match Test series, but they have received some unfortunate news ahead of the series. Reports suggest that Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma may have to sit out of one of the first two Tests, with the first match scheduled to begin in Perth on November 22nd, followed by the second Test in Adelaide on 6th December.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that Hitman might skip one of the first two Tests of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to personal reasons.

“There isn’t any complete clarity about the situation. It is understood that Rohit has intimated to the BCCI that there is a possibility that due to a pressing personal matter, he might have to skip one of the two Tests at the beginning of the series,” a BCCI was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

“In case, the personal issue is sorted before the start of the series, he might play all five Tests. We will get to know more in coming days,” he said.

Let’s assume that the Indian side is without the services of Rohit Sharma, let us take a look at some of the major candidates to lead the side in his absence.

Jasprit Bumrah

India’s well-known lead pacer is a candidate to lead the Indian unit considering his seniority within the group. Talking about Jasprit Bumrah he has also been named as vice-captain for the New Zealand tri-match Test series starting from 16th October. Looking at the team with big names it’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, after them it’s Jasprit Bumrah who comes next in line when it comes to importance in the squad. Bumrah as a bowler is a proven match-winner and has shown the ability to possibly become a leader just like his Australian counterpart, Pat Cummins. The 30-year-old has led the Indian Test team on one occasion in 2022 against England in Birmingham when Rohit was down with COVID-19. Perhaps the Indian team management could fall back on this option despite the side not picking up a win in Bumrah’s captaincy debut.

Shubman Gill

If we look at Team India’s history like how MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Virat Kohli, the Indian team could have an option to give Shubman Gill a taste of captaincy in the longest format and possibly also think about Team India’s future by building him up to be Rohit Sharma’s replacement in the long run. The 25-year-old has plenty of experience as the skipper during India’s tour of Zimbabwe and also in the Duleep Trophy 2024 for India A. With the support of senior stars like Kohli, Rahul and others, it could be the perfect opportunity to take a risk which could pay off in the future.

KL Rahul

If we go down at captaincy experience, The Indian middle-order batter is the most practical choice to fill the shoes in Rohit Sharma’s absence. KL Rahul has been the go-to skipper for the national side, across all three formats since 2022. So far he has captained India in three Tests where he won twice against Bangladesh in 2022 and his only loss was against South Africa at Johannesburg in the same year. Over the years he has continued to be a reliable skipper, especially in franchise cricket. With experience under his belt, Rahul could be a face to lead the Indian unit.

Rishabh Pant

India’s left-handed wicketkeeper batter has always been in the limelight and continues to show why he is considered an important part of Test cricket for the coming years. Scoring plenty of runs on board, India’s management could look to give Rishabh Pant a green flag as captain to see how he steps up to the challenge. The left-handed batter has the experience of captaincy for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and also led the Indian team for a five-match series against South Africa in 2022. But it would be an interesting move to see Pant take responsibility as captain with the side looking at their long-term captaincy prospects with Rohit coming to the final stages of his career.

Virat Kohli

Now, we all know this option is the one that every fan of Indian cricket would want to see Virat Kohli return to lead the side, mainly in the longest format. Everyone knows the craziness and fire in the game and players were quite a taste of rivalries only when Virat Kohli used to lead the Indian side. During his three-year captaincy stint in Tests, India saw a major turnaround in the manner they played. An aggressive and fearless approach made fear inside the best opponents as they began their ride to dominance. But ever since Kohli stepped down from his leadership role in both international and franchise cricket, Indian cricket has moved on forward, but the fans will be excited to see the star player wearing the captain’s hat once again, that too against the toughest of opponents, the mighty Aussies.