After a surprise exit from Test captaincy from Virat Kohli on Saturday (January 15) the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selectors' panel have started to work on the next captaincy options. According to a BCCI source, the board is reluctant to make an immediate appointment and will speak to the frontline candidates before making the call. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul are front runners for the position, while former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rishabh Pant to be the next captain.
“For BCCI its a big question and tough task to pick Test captain after Virat Kohl's resignation as skipper. BCCI is not in haste to take the call and name Test captain immediately. Picking a captain is not an easy task. Selectors and secretary will sit with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and coach Rahul Dravid to know what they feel and how comfortable are they for taking Test captain's responsibility," a source told Sports Tak.
Asked about Rohit and Rahul's possibility to take over the captaincy role, the source replied, “We know that Rohit has experience in all formats and he has done captaincy as and when required. He was deputy of Virat and that's why he is the front runner. On the other hand, KL has just started but you never know. The selectors may decide to have two captains while considering longevity as a major factor.”
The BCCI will have time on its side as the Indian team will not play in the longer format for the next two months. A two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in March will be the next time Team India take guard in the longer version of the game. The list of potential candidates for the role include Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami. Bumrah was the stand-in vice-captain for the second Test match against South Africa in Johannesburg.
