There is no imminent threat to his Test captaincy but he will need to rake up some significant numbers in the upcoming Test series against West Indies to eliminate doubts about his leadership in the traditional format. Sharma, meanwhile, will lead India in the two-Test series in the West Indies, following which his future in the traditional format will be decided
Barring a classy 120 against Australia on a challenging Nagpur track, Sharma hasn't been consistent in delivering the kind of performance that is expected from a player of his calibre. Since Sharma took over Test captaincy in 2022, India played 10 Tests and he missed three due to different reasons. He scored 390 runs in 7 Tests and had an average of 35.45 in 11 completed innings with a single hundred and no other score above 50
Ajinkya Rahane took charge as the vice-captain for a long time before being sidelined from the team last year. However, the veteran made a fiery comeback with the bat at the recently-concluded WTC Final. Given his batting expertise and captaincy record, Rahane makes for a prime candidate to replace Sharma at the helm
Shubman Gill is the new sensation of Indian cricket and has come out all guns blazing in nearly all matches he played for India. He has scored a century in all the formats at the international circuit and looking at the long term goal, he could be appointed as the skipper. Gill looks set to represent India for at least a decade, given his consistency
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant can do justice to the role at the moment. However, the left-hander has been away from international cricket since the horrific car crash in December 2022. He is likely to return to action by next year and given his red-ball credentials and his young age, Pant can easily take up the mantle to lead the side.
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