Indian team has certainly achieved great heights ever since Virat Kohli took the captaincy baton of the test team at 2014 Australia test series. Since then the Delhi lad has grown from strength to strength as the captain of the team. However, his captain in the shorter version of the game has been under the scanner after India’s loss to New Zealand in World Cup 2019 semi-final and one sided defeat to Pakistan in Champions trophy 2017 finals.
Virat is currently 30-year-old and future is what BCCI also looks forward to. There will be a time when Virat had to hang up his boots and give the charge to a youngster. On that note, here’s a look at possible future captains of India.
4- Shubman Gill
The Fazilka born cricketer played a key role in India’s triumph in the 2018 ICC U19 world cup where he emerged as the second highest run scorer of the tournament with 372 runs in 6 matches.
Gill, 19, scored a double hundred in a Ranji game playing for Punjab against highly anticipated Tamil Nadu in 2018-19 season. His stellar run in the domestic cricket got the attention of the selectors and cricket lovers see him as the next Virat Kohli of India. He was included in India’s ODI squad that toured New Zealand for an ODI series in January-February 2019.
Gill made his ODI debut on 31st January 2019 against Blackcaps and went onto score just 16 runs in two matches of the series. He is currently the regular member in India A squad and has managed to impress with his batting prowess. Now that the selectors will look to revamp the Indian team after World Cup debacle, Gill will be a probable member to be included in the squad and he might be in the plans for 2023 World Cup.
He had the opportunity of leading the U19 team in other tournaments before the U19 world Cup and he is one of the top contenders to lead India in the future.
3- Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer can solve the position of number four in Indian cricket team in the upcoming limited overs series against West Indies. He has scored 210 runs in 5 innings at an average of 42 for the national team. His highest score for the Indian team is 88 runs.
Iyer led a revamped Delhi Capitals to knockout stage in IPL 2019 after several years which speaks the volume of his leadership skills. He is currently regular in India A squad and considering his experience of leading his state and franchise teams, he can become the future captain of the Indian team.
2- Prithvi Shaw
The Virar born Mumbai bound cricketer scored a blisterring 546 off 330 balls in a Harris Shield match and since then his cricket career has been on a rise. He made his test debut against West Indies in October 2018 and scored a century on debut. The 19-year-old showed lot of promises in the domestic cricket and his fierce stroke making abilities make him an attacking prospect for the Indian team.
The youngster showed his caliber in leadership as he lead the India U19 team to victory in U19 World Cup in 2018. His captaincy was praised by cricket pundits, terming his as the future captain of the senior team.
1- Rishabh Pant
The vice captain of India U19 team in 2016, Rishabh Pant has proved his leadership skills by captaining Delhi to finals of 2017/18 Ranji season where they lost to Vidarbha. The southpaw got an IPL contract to play for Delhi Daredevils on the back of aggressive stroke play during the 2016 U19 World Cup. He scored 18 ball fifty in the tournament that brought him into the limelight.
Pant has now made his debut in all three formats of the game and he is expected to take the place of MS Dhoni in the team after the veteran hangs his boots. The 21-year-old is certainly the next big thing in Indian cricket and his consistent run may get the selectors to make him the skipper in coming 5-6 years.
