A series of tests for skipper Rohit Sharma

Newly-appointed Test captain Rohit Sharma. Pic/AFP

There can be no doubting the ability of Rohit Sharma as captain in white-ball cricket, be it in ODIs, T20Is or the IPL. His records and achievements speak for themselves. There have been nothing but rave reviews from experts as well as fellow players of the manner in which he has led various teams and handled players. But what Rohit faces next is a massive challenge as he becomes India's 35th Test captain on Friday.

Mumbai experience

Not that Rohit is a raw hand in leading a team in the longest format. He has led Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in his early days when he was not too busy with international commitments. It was way back in November 2012 that he captained Mumbai for the first time against Rajasthan when pacer Ajit Agarkar suffered an injury.

In the early phase of his international career, Rohit was considered a batsman fit only for limited-overs cricket, so much so that he had to wait for almost five years to break into the Test team. And despite scoring centuries in his first two Tests against the West Indies in 2013, it took him some time to become a regular - he has played only 43 Tests in almost a decade. Thus, some may consider it sheer luck the way things have panned out in Indian cricket lately that has given Rohit the chance to lead the Indian team in Test matches as well. There was a time when Ajinkya Rahane was the flavour of the day, having won four of his six Test matches as captain and drawing the other two. Had Rahane, the batsman, not suffered a slump, it is doubtful if Rohit would have got the chance.

Rohit is surely not going to worry about how or why he has become the all-format Indian captain and his focus is going to be on continuing the good work he has done as a shrewd leader. First up for him is the two-match series against the not-so-strong Sri Lankans, who are in the process of rebuilding. Of course, nobody can take the southern neighbours for granted, as they are used to playing in conditions that are similar to India.

Not a long-term choice

Is Rohit, 34, a stopgap Test captain, till India can groom one of the many in line, like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer? There is no doubt that Rohit has become the captain on his ability and not by default. But the national selectors realise that Rohit cannot be a long-term choice. In the meantime, a few candidates will have to be groomed till Rohit keeps scoring runs and leads the side well.

Chairman of the national selection committee, Chetan Sharma, said while naming him the Test captain: "Rohit was our clear choice, we are very happy with naming him as captain. We will groom future captains under him. Let's hope everything goes right and if things pan out how we want them to, it will be really good."

Age may not be on Rohit's side, but surely experience is. There can be no doubt that the Mumbaikar will lead the Indian team in the manner he has led Team India in white-ball cricket. And it's good that he has got the opportunity to captain the team at home before his first overseas challenge in England in July when he will lead India in the Test in Birmingham, and then onto the ODIs and T20Is. During Rohit's reign it will be challenging for the skipper to not only lead the team successfully, but also groom a candidate, who can take over the mantle of captaincy.

43
No. of Test matches played by Rohit Sharma