Captaining the cricket team is said to be the second toughest job in India after the prime minster’s. The pressures are enormous as every decision is scrutinised minutely by everyone. So the captain’s batting tends to suffer, and that’s true for Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
The last two captains were exceptions. Mahendra Singh Dhoni bucked the trend and became a ‘deadly finisher’ during his captaincy. His successor Virat Kohli too thrived under the pressure of leading the side.
When Kohli gave up the Test captaincy, there’s no successor. No one was groomed to takeover. That’s not Kohli’s fault. Ajinkya Rahane was the deputy for the most part, and his miserable form casts a question mark over his place in the team.
That leaves only a few choices: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin. Jasprit Bumrah too has thrown his hat in the ring. To me, Pant is the best bet.
Rohit Sharma's fitness worries
Sharma’s prone to injury. His fitness issues will worsen if he plays Test cricket regularly, and that will affect India’s white-ball prospects since Sharma is a key performer. The chances of injury rise with the more Tests he plays.
Ashwin is a smart thinker, but will he play all matches, especially overseas? His fitness will be an additional worry as he plays all three formats.
The tactical shortcomings of Rahul and Bumrah were exposed in the second Test against South Africa. While Rahul’s batting could improve — the opener plays a lot more freely when assured of a spot in the playing XI — he has been found wanting in taking calculated risks. So is Bumrah. The two allowed the Proteas to chase a record score. It was also the case in the first One Day International in Paarl.
Agreed, it’s early days, and Rahul could get better with experience. But India have been playing aggressive cricket under Dhoni and Kohli. Rahul won’t be able to keep up the aggression.
Here’s where Pant scores. He ticks all the boxes and will allow Team India to continue in the same vein. He is also not averse to taking risks and handles pressure well, as evident by the crucial knocks in Australia and South Africa. As a wicketkeeper he could analyse the game better, giving him an additional advantage.
But the Indian cricket board is unlikely to make Pant the captain. They don’t generally take bold decisions. So Rahane could come back into the team as captain.
