'It is difficult to say who will be next captain' - Chetan Sharma picks India's three future leaders who will be groomed

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match home series against Sri Lanka on February 19. Rohit Sharma was named skipper which means that he would now be leading the Indian team across formats. Meanwhile, pacer spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been named his deputy. The senior players including the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, and Wriddhiman Saha have been dropped.

While the selectors have made some notable inclusions in India’s red-ball setup with an eye on the future, chief selector Chetan Sharma also stated that three key players are being groomed as the future captains of the Indian team. They include the likes of Bumrah, limited-overs vice-captain KL Rahul, and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

Rahul was India’s stand-in captain for the three ODIs against South Africa last month with Jasprit Bumrah as his deputy whereas, Pant is the vice-captain in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.

We are sure a name will emerge: Chetan Sharma

“…and if such a big cricketer comes forward, if such an experienced player becomes a captain, then automatically, the things that we as a selection committee want, grooming captain under Rohit, will be a tremendous thing for us,” said the selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma while addressing a virtual press conference.

“We made KL the captain in South Africa. Bumrah was the deputy in South Africa and again for the Sri Lanka series. In West Indies T20s, we had Rishabh as vice-captain. These are potential leaders to be groomed under Rohit. Yes, it is difficult to say who will be next captain but we are sure a name will emerge,” he added.

Coming back to the India-Sri Lanka Test series, the series opener will be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali whereas the second and final game would be contested at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 12. The second Test match is all set to be a pink-ball affair that would be played under lights. The Indian team would be hoping to bounce back after losing the Test series against the Proteas from a position of strength.