Rohit's Test captaincy has come under the scanner after the WTC final defeat.
Given that Rohit is now on the wrong side of 30s, cricket pundits have already started suggesting the selectors to groom some youngsters for the leadership role in red-ball cricket.
Rohit will continue to lead the side in the two-match Test series against West Indies, starting July 12 in Dominica. This series will also mark the beginning of India’s campaign in the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Meanwhile, former chief selector MSK Prasad has thrown former skipper Virat Kohli’s name in the fray for Test captaincy, citing the example of Ajinkya Rahane who has been appointed vice-captain for the West Indies Test series after his successful return to the longest format via the WTC final.
“Why not Virat Kohli? When Ajinkya Rahane can come back and become the vice-captain, then why not Virat Kohli? I don’t know what the mindset of Virat is on captaincy. In case selectors are thinking beyond Rohit, I don’t know whether they are thinking but if they are thinking beyond Rohit, then I think Virat can also be an option," Prasad told Khelnow.
Notably, Virat Kohli stepped down as India’s T20I skipper after the T20 World Cup 2021 but the selectors also sacked him from ODI captaincy citing that they don’t want different individuals leading the white-ball teams. By January 2022, Kohli gave up the Test captaincy as well following the series loss in South Africa.
While Rohit is the designated captain across all three formats, Hardik Pandya has been leading the T20I side ever since India’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit last year. Pandya is also playing the role of Rohit’s deputy in the 50-over format.
When asked about the possibility of Hardik being handed captaincy in the two limited-overs formats, Prasad said: “I don’t know if I can answer this question. I don’t know the mindset of the selectors. Usually the mindset of the selectors should be now with the WTC cycle it should be a clear cycle, that’s how the mindset should be."