Players who can lead India format-wise in West Indies if seniors are rested

After the intense World Cup 2019 tournament, Team India will be in the Caribbean islands within a month’s time. Three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests will be played against the Windies. Although the players will have a good 20 to 25 days break after the quadrennial event, most of the cricketers have had a long season. There have hardly been any breaks since the Asia Cup last year.

The team has toured overseas as well and almost all the players were involved in the IPL too. There was quite a lot of travelling and the players would be extremely fatigued. Moreover, there is a long home season ahead after the Windies tour. Thus, the management and the selectors might look to rest some of the senior players including Virat Kohli at least for a part of the tour. In such a scenario, here are the possible options who can lead Team India in each of the three formats.

Players who could lead Team India against Windies:

Shikhar Dhawan (ODIs)

For the ODIs, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could be rested. This duo has been playing some non-stop cricket and there has been a lot of travelling as well. Rohit even led the team in the Asia Cup 2018 and was a part of almost every limited-overs game that India played. Thus, the management is left with the option of giving the responsibility to Shikhar Dhawan in case both these players are rested.

While MS Dhoni might be an option, the selectors would not want to go back to him at this stage of his career given that he doesn’t retire. Shikhar has had the experience of leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the past and is a cool head. While he might not be tactically as strong as some of the other players, he is a good thinker of the game and should do a decent job if given the chance. The left-hander would have had a decent break by then as he is no more a part of India’s World Cup campaign.

KL Rahul (T20Is)

Since the T20Is will be played first, there is every possibility that India might rest most of the players for the shortest format and get them back for the other two formats. In such a scenario, if the team decides to go with a young team, they will surely fall short of a captaincy candidate. The best option they can consider is KL Rahul.

Rahul was given the opportunity to lead the India-A team earlier this year and he did a good job. He is a quick learner and could be looked at as a potential captain for the team in the future. Since he is already an excellent T20 batsman, this additional responsibility shouldn’t be a huge burden to him. Moreover, Rahul is someone who relishes the challenge. It should bring the best out of him just like it was a few months ago with the ‘A’ team.

Ajinkya Rahane (Tests)

For the Test format, the management and the selectors need not look beyond Ajinkya Rahane. He has been predominantly playing only this format at the highest level and is also the vice-captain of the team. Rahane has had a good amount of break during this period and should be rearing to go.

Playing county cricket in England would keep him in touch and captaincy is never a burden for a great thinker of the game like him. Rahane has led the team in this format earlier as well and emerged triumphantly. He is another one of those players who enjoy the additional responsibility and is a great tactician as well.