Who should be India's next test captain?

[QuarantineTormentino]

Please not KL. Can’t bear to think of the start of the new Rahul-Rahul dawn  

[I6MTW]

Rohit is already selected as the next test captain. He's now India's all format captain.

[Suhaan]

5 minutes ago, Sgattick10 said:

Nah, goes missing in big matches. 

Just picked 6 in this test and helped pick slender lead despite team setting a paltry 1st innings score

Did well in England,even in Aus last time till the time he left

WTC was a complete failure,his contribution to this attack as a unit is immense,take him out ,it won't be as good as it looks these days

Big matches were mostly botched by our esteemed batting offlate

Edited January 15, 2022 by Suhaan

[nevada]

1 hour ago, HamHindustani said:

Rohit is even an option as a Test captain?

He isn't. The selectors don't want one captain for all three formats as it can be too exhausting. If he had been averaging around 35, Rahane would have been made captain but he is now done and dusted. Looks like it will go to Rahul, but giving captaincy to him is not a good option. 

[HamHindustani]

3 minutes ago, nevada said:

He isn't. The selectors don't want one captain for all three formats as it can be too exhausting. If he had been averaging around 35, Rahane would have been made captain but he is now done and dusted. Looks like it will go to Rahul, but giving captaincy to him is not a good option. 

I prefer the choice to be a long term option than a temporary one. If it had to be temporary then status quo was more than fine.

[Vijy]

there are no good long-term choices.

 

Pant - already too much to do because of keeping and rescuing non-existent middle order

Rohit - not long term option

Ashwin - not long term, and also not captaincy material (too emotional and/or self-centered)

Bumrah - declining in terms of pace/bounce. pace bowlers already have high workload - not everyone can be an exception like Cummins

KLR - mentally weak and fragile, like a porcelain doll

Jaddu - I don't think he has captained in any form

Rahane - appears to be capable, but does not merit a place in the team at all (not long term option)

Chepu - does not merit place in team on current form; not really captaincy material (not long term option)

 

Maybe Gill or Iyer can be a fit.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Vijy

[Vilander]

Rohit cap, kl VC 

Then kl c, Gill vc

 

Ash did not do well in SA not sure if he deserves his place away anymore. 

 

 

[vayuu1]

 

[vayuu1]

Two rahuls leading us ,shiva save us

[Laaloo]

Pujara captain

Rahane vice captain

[AKane]

Who would Dravid lobby for? My guess is the peerless KL.

[Sean Bradley]

9 minutes ago, Laaloo said:

Pujara captain

Rahane vice captain

No no, Pujara Chairman of BCCI.

Rahane : ICC President. Important people deserve important Jobs.

 

They are not Purush. They are Mahapurush 

Edited January 15, 2022 by Sean Bradley

[Vijy]

4 minutes ago, AKane said:

Who would Dravid lobby for? My guess is the peerless KL.

rahuls look out for each other. The Tribe of Rahul

[sandeep]

This isn't rocket science.

 

Rohit as short term skipper is a done deal, and rightly so.

 

[Majestic]

20 minutes ago, vayuu1 said:

 

Who is he to make this call?

[Lannister]

Rahul. He should have his chance. 

[AKane]

1 minute ago, Lannister said:

Rahul. He should have his chance. 

Why is it the peerless KL's chance? Only reason he was VC was because Rohit was absent.

 

Shouldn't it be Rohit's chance?

[Lannister]

4 minutes ago, AKane said:

Why is it the peerless KL's chance? Only reason he was VC was because Rohit was absent.

 

Shouldn't it be Rohit's chance?

In test? No, Rohit does not deserve it. Rahul started as a test player. So this should be his main format.

[Texan]

Rohit Sharma for the short term till we find a long term captain.

 

Please please please not KL. KL has a gift for losing anything he touches. 

 

[BacktoCricaddict]

S/W analysis of the contenders (in order of preference):

 

(1) Rohit Sharma

Strengths: 

• Has recently performed very well as a test batsman, even under difficult conditions abroad.   
• Seems to have a very personable leadership style that allows others to play freely - a nurturing style.

Weaknesses: 

• Availability issues - dang, the guy is hurt a lot, and his injuries seem to be related to lack of general fitness.  In this day and age of athletes playing cricket, am just not sure that will cut it.  Will he be there for every match?  
• Too much power in one guy's hands as an all-format captain.  Didn't work out too well for Kohli, and is not the norm anymore in modern cricket.  

Summary: Decent choice at this point.  If he commits to fitness and stays injury-free, he would be a great choice.  

 

(2) Rishabh Pant

Strengths: 

• Automatic selection in team. 
• GOAT wk-batsman. 
• Clutch-man.  Dynamic matchwinner. 
• Seems to have a sharp cricketing mind during keeping. 
• Gregarious, players seem to just love the guy.

Weaknesses: 

• Will captaincy stifle his batting? 
• Has some leadership experience, but how will he handle failure and extreme criticism and pressure as leader? 
• Seems like a happy-go-lucky fellow.  Can he "boss" people around without pi$$ing them off?
• Also some fitness issues, but has not affected his play of late.  

Summary:  50-50.  Second best choice after Rohit at this point.  If the rest of the team is consulted and is on-board to mentor him and buffer him from external pressures for a couple of years, I would give him a go.

 

(3) Bumrah

Strengths:

• Seems to have a calm, clear, unpanicked approach to the game.  Tough interior, smiling exterior.  Players seems to respect and appreciate that.
• ATG bowler.  Automatic pick in the team.  
• Thinking cricketer.

Weaknesses:

• Workload: As a fast bowler whose workload has to be managed carefully, it may be too much to put on his shoulders to grind out every test match.  Yeah, Cummins is doing it, but Bumrah is just coming back after a serious injury and still working out his consistency.  
• Has he ever done this captaincy thing at the FC level, at least?  

 

Summary:  50-50.  Falls just below Pant in the captaincy stakes.

 

(4a) K L R: 

Strengths: 

• Excellent potential as batsman.  Has some captaincy experience. 

Weaknesses:  

• He is averaging just 35.xx over the past 3 years, playing only 9 matches.  He may be an all-format player, but that is not what are looking for.  We are looking for someone who is a pillar of solidity in the batting lineup or a star bowler.  
• His leadership success is spotty.  His teams have underperformed in the IPL.  Not sure about Karnataka.  He seems a different kind of quiet than Rahane; Rahane seemed to have a more encouraging, nurturing, kind personality but effected good bowling changes and kept his team in a good mental space.  K L R comes across as cocky and aloof, and slinks away and pouts when things are a bit awry.  

Summary:  Weaknesses far outweigh strengths.  Just don't trust him for this role.

 

(4b) Ashwin

Strengths: 

• ATG bowler.  Highly successful and respected match winner. 
• Brilliant cricketing mind.
• Clear and candid communicator.

Weaknesses:

• A bit of a mad scientist.  
• Seems to lack patience with himself and others - how will he mentor others, shepherd them through their mistakes?
• Clear and candid communicator - seems to lack tact and diplomacy in dealing with people. 
• Not a surefire pick for all pitches.  May be a liability if he has to play simply as a captain in some conditions.   

 

Summary:

Weaknesses outweigh strengths.  Falls below Pant in the captaincy stakes.  

 

Overall summary: 

Damn you, Rahane.  If you could only keep your batting average around 42-43 over the past 2 years with a couple of daddy knocks every 10 innings, this would be so easy after what you showed you could do in Australia.  

Edited January 15, 2022 by BacktoCricaddict