3 players who can replace Rohit Sharma as Test captain

In the wake of India's humiliating defeat against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final, there have been widespread calls to remove Rohit Sharma as India's Test captain. The opening batter was appointed the captain in 2022 after Virat Kohli decided to step down as Test captain despite doing exceptionally well. Kohli's surprising call came after being removed as India's T20I and ODI captain.

Rohit did well to take India to the WTC final but failed to lead the team to a win. India flopped with both bat and ball as Australia thrashed the Rohit Sharma-led side by 209 runs to clinch their first-ever WTC title. The defeat has only extended India's long wait for an ICC title.

Desperate fans and several experts have called for a new captain ahead of the new WTC cycle. Few fans have even called for Kohli to be reinstated as Test captain. While Kohli is more than unlikely to retake charge of the Test team, Let us have a look at three possible options for India's new Test captain if Rohit is eventually sacked from his role. 

3 players who can replace Rohit Sharma as Test captain:

3. Shreyas Iyer

Although Shreyas Iyer has not led a team at the international level, he is not new to captaincy. He has been given leadership roles in the domestic circuit as well as in the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter made his Test debut in 2021 and soon became a vital member of the team before being sidelined with an injury. He will likely return to the Test team as soon as he recovers.

Iyer has proved himself as a batter the in red-ball format and is looking likely to serve Indian cricket for a long time as a middle-order batsman. Iyer could be a bold captaincy option for Team India. Not only has he done well as a captain, but he has also led from the front whenever he has the chance. When he was named the captain of India B's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy, he finished the competition as the leading run-scorer.

In the same year, he was also named captain of IPL outfit Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) at the age of only 23. On his captaincy debut, he smashed an unbeaten 93 before leading them to the playoffs in 2019 and their first-ever IPL final in 2020. In 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him up and named him as their captain.