look news india
The equation of captaincy in Indian cricket is changing rapidly. Experiments and changes regarding captaincy have become common during Rohit Sharma’s tenure. Sometimes due to workload management and sometimes due to the format, the game of new captaincy has become a part of the Indian team. But it was not like this before. In the era of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, there was a permanent captain for all three formats. Both Dhoni and Kohli were against split captaincy (different captains for different formats), and their leadership style gave stability to the team.
Era of split captaincy
MS Dhoni himself left the limited overs captaincy when Virat Kohli took over the leadership in Test cricket. This was a clear indication as to who would be the next multi-format captain of the team. But this picture has become blurred during the tenure of Rohit Sharma.
- T20 Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
- ODI and Test Captain: Rohit Sharma
After the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya was considered the successor of T20, but suddenly this responsibility was handed over to Suryakumar Yadav. Surya is the number-1 batsman in T20, but considering his age (34 years), there is talk that the team will have to find his successor soon.
Experimentation and instability in captaincy
Captaincy manipulation has increased instability during Rohit Sharma’s tenure.
- Rohit captained only 57% of T20 matches.
- In the remaining 43% of the matches, the team was captained by 6 other players.
Analysis of captaincy era of Dhoni, Kohli, and Rohit
| captain | Test | ODI | t20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni (2008-2017) | 58 matches (Dhoni), 3 (Virender Sehwag), 1 (Virat Kohli) | 199 (Dhoni), 17 (Kohli), 12 (Raina), 7 (Sehwag), 6 (Gambhir), 3 (Rahane) | 72 (Dhoni), 3 (Raina), 2 (Rahane) |
| Virat Kohli (2017-2022) | 68 (Kohli), 6 (Rahane), 1 (KL Rahul) | 77 (Kohli), 10 (Rohit), 3 (Dhawan), 1 (Dhoni) | 50 (Kohli), 19 (Rohit), 3 (Dhawan) |
| Rohit Sharma (2022-present) | 24 (Rohit), 3 (Bumrah), 2 (KL Rahul) | 38 (Rohit), 9 (Dhawan), 9 (KL Rahul), 3 (Hardik) | 43 (Rohit), 16 (Hardik), 7 (Surya), 5 (Pant), 3 (Gaikwad), 2 (Bumrah), 1 (KL Rahul) |
Future of Indian cricket: Who is the next captain?
During the tenure of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, the name of the next captain was clear, but in the era of Rohit Sharma, the picture is blurry.
- T20 Format:
- Hardik Pandya was considered the successor for a long time, but suddenly Surya was made the captain.
- ODI and Test:
- KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah were given a chance as vice-captains, but Rahul’s form and fitness are under question.
- Bumrah is being considered as the next Test captain, but his injuries are continuously hindering him.
Effect of change in captaincy
- Lack of stability: Frequent changes of captaincy have affected the performance of the players and the cohesion of the team.
- Impact of IPL: Due to IPL, young players get leadership opportunities at an early age, due to which every player seems to be interested in captaincy.
What does India need?
The Indian team needs a captain who can give stability and clarity to the team in all three formats. The pros and cons of split captaincy will continue to be discussed, but a clear plan and leadership is needed to take the team out of the current instability.