Five players who can replace Virat Kohli as Test captain

After the disappointment of losing the Test series against South Africa, Indian fans were dealt with a massive blow as India's most successful Test captain, Virat Kohli stepped down from the post. One of the best batters of all time, Kohli has been going through some hard times. Initially, he had decided to step down as T20I captain to focus more on batting. However, things went downhill for Kohli post his call to relinquish T-20 captaincy. BCCI didn't want split captaincy in limited-overs cricket thus sacked Kohli as ODI captain and named Rohit his successor. The treatment meted out by BCCI caught Kohli off guard. He was disappointed by the lack of communication by the BCCI.

Also, his form with the bat has not been good and the recent series loss against South Africa added fuel to the fire and Kohli decided to step down.

Now the BCCI has a big task of naming the next India captain. Over the years, Ajinkya Rahane has been India's vice-captain and logically he should have taken over the role. However, his place in the team is not certain after a long stretched lean patch. He was also removed as vice-captain thus he is out of the equation. So who can be the next India captain?

Here's are the five probable candidates.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is the prime contender to lead India in Tests. Not so long ago, Rohit was not certain in the Indian test team but he has evolved his game a lot. He looked rock-solid in the England series and helped India take a 2-1 lead in the series. We can safely say that he has cemented his place in the Test team. He was recently named the India Test vice-captain as well. With plenty of leadership experience behind him, he is the frontrunner to take over the role. Rohit has already been named India's captain in limited-overs cricket.

KL Rahul

Rahul led India in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the second Test against South Africa. Kl Rahul, like Rohit, has shown great skills with the bat at the top. However, no matter how good a batter you are, leading a team requires a lot of mental strength. Rahul has some experience of leading a team as he was Punjab's skipper for two seasons of the Indian T20 League. Keeping that Rahul is just 29, BCCI might take a surprise call and name him as captain ahead of Rohit Sharma.

Jasprit Bumrah

As mentioned before, to be a captain, you have to be a regular in the Indian team and Bumrah is one of the more important players in the Indian team. Bumrah made his Test debut in 2018 in South Africa and went on to become one of the most fearsome bowlers of all time. His stats speak the volume of his skills. While Bumrah does not have any prior leadership experience, he has a good head on his shoulders and has a great understanding of the game. He could be a potential candidate to replace Virat Kohli.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is the X factor of this Indian Test team. With the bat, he can turn the game on his head in no time. Pant had a stellar run in 2021 and played a pivotal role in India's win in Australia. Later, he continued his form in the home series against England. There was a slight dip in his form but he roared back with a brilliant hundred in Cape Town. He now has hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa, a rare feat to achieve. Post the injury to Shreyas Iyer, Pant was named the skipper of Delhi in Indian T20 League and he led the team to the playoffs.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin could also be a probable candidate to lead India given the experience he has. However, he is not certain to feature in the playing XI, especially in overseas conditions thus it's unlikely that BCCI will give him the leadership duties.