The Indian Cricket Team is all set to tour Sri Lanka for a limited-overs series in July this year. But the players that would be travelling to play in the World Test Championship would not be playing in this series, so while the playing XI could be pieced together easily, in the absence of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it would be a task for the selectors to find a captain for the team. So, here’s a look at the players who could be the captain of Team India on their tour to Sri Lanka.
1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
One of the most experienced active bowlers in the Indian Cricket Team at the moment, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could very well be the player who is given the responsibility to captain team India on their limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka. Having played 165 One Day Internationals and T20I matches, Bhuvneshwar has seen the Indian team go through a lot and understands the play style of almost everyone who is a part of the Indian team right now and could get the best of them out on the field. Apart from his stellar overall record, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shown his prowess with both the bat and the ball in the hand in Sri Lanka.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
The explosive opener of the Indian team, Shikhar Dhawan has been in talks of being given the leadership role for quite some time now. Having served as the vice-captain of the Indian team during their successful campaign in the Nidahas Trophy, Dhawan must have his fair share of an idea of how to read the conditions in Sri Lanka, and he could put it into effect much to the benefit of the Indian cricket team who will be going in a little short-handed in this tour.
Dhawan looked to be in decent touch with the bat in the matches of IPL 2021, so he could focus on leading the team over that. This makes him an interesting prospect to be picked as the captain of the Indian team during their tour of Sri Lanka.
3. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson’s battle to get into the Indian team has been a hard-fought one, but he has proven time and again that he is ready to always play at the highest level. Be it in the domestic tournaments or the IPL, his numbers with the bat or behind the stumps as the wicket-keeper of the team, have proven to be of adequate quality for him to be put in the Indian team. And this tour of the Indian team to Sri Lanka could be a great chance for him to not only be included in the Indian team but also be given the chance to be the team’s captain. The 26-year-old has led the Kerala team to success in the past and has shown his prowess as a leader, making his case very strong.
4. Shreyas Iyer
The most celebrated stroke maker to have come out of the Mumbai cricketing circles, and to have made his way into the Indian cricket team, Shreyas Iyer, as many may not call it, but is a real potent candidate to be given the duty to lead the Indian team as their captain, during their campaign in Sri Lanka.
Be it the Indian Premier League or International cricket, while facing some of the fiercest bowling attacks of all time, Iyer has time and again show that he is a great batsman and the intent that he has shown in on-field discussions midway through IPL or international games, is an indication that he has in him what it takes to be the captain of the team which has the expectations and hopes of billions riding along. Iyer has shown his knack for captaincy in IPL and if given the chance could do the same at the highest level too.
6. Hardik Pandya
The Indian with the Caribbean style of play, Hardik Pandya since day 1 of him playing in the Indian team showed that he was in for the long haul. And now 5 years later, he stands as a star of the Indian cricket team. Having played a lot of cricket all over the world and been a crucial part of India’s previous campaigns to Sri Lanka, Pandya has almost all that it takes to be the captain of team India when they play against Sri Lanka in the coming months.
All-rounder captains are no strangers in the Indian team, with the most popular one being Kapil Dev, and Pandya, who knows if given the right chance, could give India another Kapil Dev-esque performance.
