A major moot doing vehement rounds across the Indian cricketing fabric has been how exactly the captaincy shifted hands over the due course of time and ever since Virat Kohli has stepped down it has been a constant shift of power between faces seen and unseen with the results varying.
As we talk about the consistent change in the Indian captaincy options, Rohit Sharma once again proved that why he is the best fit as the Indian skipper after Kohli, with an emphatic series to show for it. Before India hits the yard against England for the following ODI series, let’s quickly run through the captains that have taken over the charge for the Men in Blue ever since Kohli renounced the prestigious position.
#1 KL Rahul for South Africa ODIs
Not really a series to remember for the Men in Blue as KL Rahul led the charge for India. However, the visitors were all over the place with barely anything to show for, especially with incessant batting collapses.
There were major questions about Rahul’s choices in clutch moments and the fans had ample reasons to believe that Rahul was not meant for the leadership role. With all said and done, it was kind of harsh for Rahul who probably had an overwhelming challenge thrown right at his feet, and that too away from home in hostile South African conditions.
#2 Rohit Sharma for Sri Lanka and West Indies series
Rohit resumed his captaincy for the Indian team as they took on Sri Lanka and West Indies at home. Both the series were comfortably sealed as Rohit’s golden form as a captain continued. However, there were challenges with his batting which has again started blurring out of the limelight with a decent showdown against England.
He is a beloved captain and most of the players admire him for his on-the-face attitude and the kind of command he has over his players. He is aggressive on the field but one of the friendliest cricketers that you would probably come across as your skipper.
#3 Rishabh Pant for South Africa T20Is
The hard-hitting southpaw had a shaky start to his international captaincy stint against the Proteas as the visitors sealed the two opening contests with the series insights. However, Team India was right back in the hunt with a couple of emphatic bowling showdowns.
Pant has made a handful of questionable calls during his captaincy tenure with India but then given the novelty of his reign as India’s leader, he has a lot to learn and is expected to make calls that won’t sit well with others. But then one series doesn’t define a captain’s fate.
#4 Hardik Pandya for Ireland T20Is
The same Ireland who almost gave a scare to the hard-hitting Kiwis last night came very close to securing a remarkable win against India only to squander away a fragmented historical jiffy towards the end, witnessed the first-hand might of Pandya 2.0.
The returning all-rounder put up quite a show both with the bat and the ball and also proved to be an astute captaincy choice who would turn the critiques on their heels. There was lightning and thunder as the runs flowed with consummate ease for the Indian all-rounder and it was also fun to watch him leading the show from the very front.
#5 Jasprit Bumrah
Despite India losing out the final Test at Edgbaston, Bumrah presented the world with a glimpse of how destructive he can be as a captain, not just as a bowler but at times as a batter too. He took Stuart Broad to the cleaners and Brian Lara lost his record.
Following his rampage with the bat, he would also come up with magical bowling figures to leave the hosts confined in the final Test only for Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to produce performances of the highest order that would leave India with a bitter taste in their mouth.
#6 Dinesh Karthik for the two warm-up T20Is
RCB’s Finisher Supreme was also handed over the reins of the Indian captaincy as the Men in Blue played two warm-up contests, one against Derbyshire and the second game against Nottinghamshire.
India secured wins in both the contests and they did that emphatically despite a scare against Nottinghamshire in the second contest with the winning margin being a paltry 10 runs. However, those games would come in extremely handy as they secured the series comfortably against England.
