The ever-changing landscape of the Indian Cricket Team sees yet another captain. Rohit Sharma’s absence from the first two ODIs against Australia has paved the way for KL Rahul to assume leadership. While Rahul is not the primary choice for captaincy, the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is also rested, leaves him at the helm. The omission of Jasprit Bumrah from captaincy duties has raised eyebrows, and this series serves as a test for KL Rahul’s prospects as a future leader in ODIs, particularly post the World Cup.

Rohit Sharma, at 37, is expected to contemplate relinquishing captaincy in one format after the World Cup. While Hardik Pandya appears to be the natural choice for succession, questions arise regarding his ability to juggle captaincy in both white-ball formats.

Potential Captaincy Options Post Rohit Sharma:

Hardik Pandya (ODI & T20I)
KL Rahul (ODI)
Rishabh Pant (All formats)
Jasprit Bumrah
Shreyas Iyer (All formats)

However, a senior BCCI official has emphasized that no official discussions regarding the captaincy have taken place. According to the official, Rohit Sharma will continue as captain until any issues arise or until a review is deemed necessary post the World Cup.

KL Rahul faced a dip in form, leading to his removal from the vice-captaincy role in the Test team and his exclusion from the Playing XI. He hasn’t featured in T20Is since the T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, he remains a pivotal player for India in ODIs. Despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah, the selectors surprised many by entrusting Rahul with captaincy responsibilities for the first two ODIs against Australia in Rohit’s absence.

According to the official, “KL was never out of the leadership group. As for why Jasprit was not handed the captaincy, it’s because as a fast bowler, he may not feature in both games and won’t be on the field the whole match. Hence, the need for someone else. KL, being the keeper, will be close to the action and is an automatic choice.”