Will Ravichandran Ashwin Or Virat Kohli Replace Rohit Sharma As Test Captain For Next WTC Cycle?

Rohit Sharma's captaincy has come under the scanner after India failed to come up with the goods against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final played at the Kennington Oval, London. India succumbed to a humiliating 209-run loss, thus extending their ICC title drought - the last of which India won under MS Dhoni in the form of the Champions Trophy.

The chorus is growing on social media to replace Rohit with Ravichandran Ashwin or Virat Kohli as the Test captain for India after the WTC final loss against the Aussies. With the next cycle of the World Test Championship (23-25) for India set to begin with the tw0-match Test series against the West Indies next month, the aging side might just run out of options to find a new captain - if at all the selectors are looking for a change. The top six in the Indian batting lineup barring Shubman Gill are all above 34, with Rohit and Ashwin being the oldest - 36 years.

The average age of the Indian squad that took on Australia in the WTC final was 31.9 with Mohammed Siraj (29) being the youngest among the bowlers. Gill might just be a little too young to take over as the captain and Kohli might not be interested to take over the role for the second time. While Ashwin or Ajinkya Rahane can be good options but age is not on their side, and neither their place in the Indian Test setup. Ashwin was surprisingly dropped for the WTC final and Rahane just made a comeback into the scheme of things. Not likely options that the selectors would be banking on.

KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are the only feasible options going forward, given the fact that they have led the side in the past in absence of Rohit but both are injury prone and might not be a permanent solution. The selectors will have to take a call sooner or later and Hardik Pandya not making himself available for the longer format of the game doesn't make their job any easier. Taking into account all the above scenarios, it is highly unlikely that Rohit will be replaced anytime soon, at least not till the ODI World Cup 2023.

The series against West Indies might see some of the top players taking a break and that will open the door for some of the younger players who have toiled hard in domestic cricket and have runs behind their backs. If anything, the squad that the selectors pick will give everyone a clear indication as to where the Indian Test team is heading in the next WTC cycle. The team would be touring South Africa in December-January and the selectors would ideally like to have complete clarity in terms of leadership ahead of the tour and the rest of the WTC cycle.

Rohit Sharma's record as Test Captain

Rohit took over the mantle from Virat Kohli in Test matches ahead of the Sri Lanka series at home in 2022. India went on win the series 2-0. However, he was out of action for the one-off Test against England in Birmingham and subsequently the series against Bangladesh. India lost the Test against England but won the series against Bangladesh 2-0. In absence of Rohit, Bumrah captained India in England and Rahul took over the captaincy in Bangladesh.

Rohit returned as the captain for India in the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia earlier in the year and helped his side win the series 2-1 that sealed their spot in the WTC final 2023.