Rohit Sharma’s retirement has left India in a conundrum over his immediate successor for the England tour that will commence in June 2025.
What led to this conundrum?
Rohit’s retirement was probably on the cards when New Zealand swept India 3-0 in India to end the latter’s world record streak of series wins at home. He then led India to their first series defeat against Australia – home or away – since 2014/15. In Rohit’s last six Tests as captain, India had lost five and drawn the other.
This would have been an ordinary run for an Indian Test captain in any point of time, but seems particularly worse after the Virat Kohli era, when the team scaled highs in Test cricket they have not known before or after his tenure.
India did not prepare for the post-Kohli era in time. Ajinkya Rahane, the vice-captain for much of Kohli’s stint, is of the same age. Rohit, who succeeded him, is a year and a half older than Kohli. Neither was going to be a long-term successor had Kohli not abruptly resigned in early 2022.
Read: A two-year peak or an India great, what is Rohit Sharma’s Test legacy?
India had been at these crossroads before. Rahul Dravid, the deputy of Sourav Ganguly for five years, succeeded him in 2005. When India went to England in 2007, Sachin Tendulkar was the vice-captain to Dravid. When Dravid resigned after that tour, India offered the job to Tendulkar. When he declined, 37-year-old Anil Kumble got the job.
Does the captain matter in cricket? Theoretically, perhaps not in the age when the captain and the coaching staff often prepare and work as a cohesive unit, especially for the most professional sides. Indian cricket, however, can require an individual capable of – among other things – withstanding the pressure of extreme emotions from the fans.
Quiz: Every cricketer to play a Test match against captain Rohit Sharma
Who are Rohit Sharma’s successors?
The selectors can approach this in several ways. A stopgap arrangement with a long-term solution in mind. An option with an eye on the next decade. Or a wildcard entry. The options are myriad, but there are five frontrunners.
Shubman Gill: The future
While there is no official indication, several reports have put Gill ahead in the captaincy race for the five-match Test series in England. Gill has led India in a T20I series in Zimbabwe shortly after the 2024 T20 World Cup. He also leads the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He led in the Duleep Trophy and the Ranji Trophy this winter. He does have some experience.
While all that is true, it is also true that Gill led a second-string Indian side, and he got the GT job only because Mumbai Indians got Hardik Pandya in a pre-auction acquisition.
But perhaps most significantly, he is yet to find his groove in the playing XI. His last fifty outside Asia had come in his debut series, in Australia in 2020/21. In the same country this winter, India left him out when they adopted a questionable team structure for the Boxing Day Test match. Gill does have age on his side – he is only 25 – but if India appoint him, they would be opting for a captain who had been dropped one Test ago.
An England tour may be baptism by fire, especially if Gill does not get the runs. He will require unconditional backing from the selectors.
Jasprit Bumrah: The obvious
There would be many who would rate Bumrah as the greatest contemporary cricketer. If being a certainty in the XI is a requisite for leading a side, Bumrah fits that bill better than anyone. He has also led at Test cricket before, in Rohit’s absence. At Perth, he virtually decided the course of a Test match on his own.
Bumrah would have been the best choice – but for the fact that his workload needs to be managed, especially since his recent injury, at Sydney early this year. He is unlikely to play all five Tests in England, and will almost certainly miss a Test or two in India’s home season.
Of course, Bumrah may still lead – at least for the England tour – and Gill may step in when he is absent.
KL Rahul: The shapeshifter
It may seem a long time ago, but Rahul was the Indian vice-captain until about two years back, and had led them in three Tests before that. Rahul found himself out of the Test XI soon afterwards, but clawed his way back as a middle-order batter and wicketkeeper on the South Africa tour of 2023/24. Then, just when it seemed he would find his way back into the side as a batter, he got injured. When he returned, it was in the middle order. In Australia, he was promoted to the top when Rohit missed the first Test. In the fourth, he was pushed to one-drop.
Inconsistency has plagued Rahul throughout his Test career, but he has always adapted to return to the fold. Even in IPL 2025, he has been flexible enough to drop down the order but be ready to open when needed.
Despite the speculations, however, the Delhi Capitals did not consider Rahul as captain, or even vice-captain. All that makes one wonder whether he is in the reckoning at all.
Read: KL Rahul’s adaptability is India’s gain, but his own loss
Rishabh Pant: The best of the wildcards
Like Gill, Pant has led India in T20Is and leads an IPL side. There is little doubt over his stature as the de facto wicketkeeper. Yet, his stints – for Delhi, Delhi Capitals, or Lucknow Super Giants – have been largely unremarkable. Perhaps the best option would be to appoint another captain and make Pant his deputy, ready to step in – much like Adam Gilchrist to Ricky Ponting or Mark Boucher to Graeme Smith.
Pant is ahead of the others in the race among first-timers other than Gill. Shreyas Iyer, whom Pant had succeeded at the Capitals, had lost his national contract a year ago. Since then, he has led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title, dominated in ODIs, and seems to have unlocked a new level of T20 batting for the Punjab Kings. However, he is not a certainty in the Test side.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a certainty, but given the reports of his tussles with Rahane during their Mumbai days, a leadership role seems unlikely. He was also overlooked as Rajasthan Royals captain when Sanju Samson was injured.
Virat Kohli: Because... why not?
One last time, at least for the England tour? After all, was it not here where he had – in 2021 – put India into a 2-1 lead (India also held the upper hand at Trent Bridge when it was washed out) while being relentless in his four-seamer strategy?
Of course, Kohli needs to find runs in Test cricket. In Australia, his repetitive dismissals had been the talk of the cricketing world. Appointing him as captain for an England tour may be a backward step, perhaps even a desperate one.
At the same time, it will be the ideal transition before Gill takes over à la Dhoni from Kumble.
