Rohit Sharma has been India's captain since November 2021 when Virat Kohli quit the top role. Sharma, who has a long legacy of leadership in IPL, has led the Indian team to multiple ICC knockouts. He was Team India's in charge for the T20 World Cup 2022 and also the World Test Championship Final 2023 but the prestigious ICC title kept eluding the Men in Blue. With the 36-year-old Sharma only growing elder, there have been speculations on who will take his place with the captain's hat in the longer formats.
Rohit Sharma now continues to lead India in ODIs and Tests and is not playing T20Is after the completion of the 2022 World Cup in Australia. He has not given up the format, though. Meanwhile, former Indian player Wasim Jaffer looks at Ajinkya Rahane as the possible heir to replace Sharma in Test cricket. Jaffer hoped Rahane to get runs under his belt as he believed he could be the one getting the Test captaincy.
"Rahane will have to show consistency in his game, which has been his problem even though he has played 80-90 Tests (84). Consistency has been an issue, he will have to overcome it because India have a good captaincy option in him after Rohit Sharma is done. "Rahane will have to make runs, and then everything else will follow," Jaffer told media during an interaction organised by Jio Cinema.
'Selectors see a good leader in Rahane': Jaffer
The 45-year-old also stated that Rahane could have been India's next Test captain after the historic win in Australia in 2020-21 but the dip in form cost his place. He also stated that he has found back his mojo and selectors still believe in him.
"If his form was great from that Australia series after that 36 all-out, the way he led, scored a hundred in Melbourne… had his form remained the same, he would have been the next Test captain. But he lost his form and got dropped," he said.
"However, he reinvented himself in the IPL and got a chance in the WTC final. He was appointed the vice-captain as well because the Indian selectors see a good leader in him. He still has age on his side but he needs to score runs, if he does not then he will find it difficult," he added.
