‘Gill ya Iyer ko do bhai’ – Fans weigh in on who should become India’s next Test Captain if Rohit Sharma step’s down

Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has been questioned after India failed to deliver against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at London’s Kennington Oval. India lost by a humiliating 209-run margin, extending their 10 years championship drought.

Although Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane are viable choices for captaincy, their age and position in the Indian Test system do not favour them. Ashwin was unexpectedly pulled for the WTC final, and Rahane only recently made a comeback. No probable alternatives on which the selectors would bet.

Players likely to replace Rohit Sharma as a captain

Rishabh Pant is another name who might become India’s next Test captain. The Delhi-based batsman made his Test debut in 2018 and has since earned the country honours in the longest format. Pant, who is still recuperating from a catastrophic car accident in December of last year, has previously captained Delhi in domestic cricket as well as the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

Not only that but as a wicketkeeper, Pant has the ability to read the game effectively, making him a strong contender to lead India in the longest format after he returns from injury.

After India’s World Cup final loss to Australia, social media is calling for Rohit to be replaced as Test captain by Ravichandran Ashwin or Virat Kohli. With India’s next cycle of the World Test Championship (23-25) scheduled to begin next month with a two-match Test series against the West Indies, the ageing side may have run out of choices to pick a new skipper – assuming the selectors are looking for a change at all.

KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are the potential possibilities going forward, considering that they have previously captained the side in Rohit’s absence, although both are injury prone and may not be a long-term answer. The selectors will have to make a decision sooner or later, and Hardik Pandya’s refusal to play in the lengthier version of the game doesn’t make their task any easier. Taking all of the aforementioned into consideration, it is quite doubtful that Rohit will be replaced anytime soon, at least not before the ODI World Cup in 2023.

Fans’ Reactions to the thoughts

No one else, just rohit

Give him one complete test cycle to captain, he is our best batter and captain.

— Prashanth (@YVPRASH) June 14, 2023

Gill ya Iyer ko do bhai. Ye teeno launde jyada available nhi ho sakte

— Abhishek (@ydvabhishek31) June 14, 2023

KL Rahul. He may fail but he's our best opener with godd technique for Sena opening and have captained already so he should be captain and Pant be Vice captain

— Retired ICT Fan (@akhileshvt74) June 14, 2023

Rahane abhi ek match acha khele rahane rahne chilla rahe h sb ek series kharab gayi ise nikalo yh hone lagega…… Rohit ne kya galat kiya h captaincy aur individual performance bhi ache h uske

— Ajit Singh (@AjitSin27500001) June 14, 2023

BCCI should request Kohli to Captain again for the next cycle of WTC.

— Ritikesh Gupta (@RitikeshGupta6) June 14, 2023