The dates of the ODI series between India and South Africa are colliding with the dates of the Asia XI vs World XI series which is scheduled to take place in Bangladesh. It has been reported that BCCI might send the Indian captain Virat Kohli to play for the Asia XI. If that happens, India will have to name an interim captain for the South Africa ODI series.
Generally, the vice-captain Rohit Sharma would take charge of the Indian team in Virat’s absence, but Rohit is not fit at the moment and it is not certain if he will get fit in time to take part in the South Africa series at all. If Virat goes to Bangladesh and Rohit doesn’t get fit, India will have to look towards other options who can take over as captain on an interim basis.
Here are the 3 players who can lead India if Rohit doesn’t get fit
#1 KL Rahul
KL Rahul captained India in the fifth T20I against New Zealand and he did the job pretty decently, despite having asked to take up the job all of a sudden because of Rohit’s injury in the middle of the game.
Rahul looked calm and composed while leading the side. India were put under pressure at one stage in the game after Shivam Dube gave away 34 runs in one over, but Rahul still didn’t give up and managed to bring India back with subtle bowling changes and thoughtful field placements.
India eventually managed to restrict New Zealand well short of the target and Rahul achieved his first victory as Indian captain. He can be an automatic pick to captain the team if Virat and Rohit aren’t available.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is the most senior player in the Indian team after Virat and Rohit and the selectors might think about giving him the captaincy as well, given the vast experience that he has got.
Dhawan has already been named vice-captain of the Indian white-ball squads on a couple of occasions in the past when Virat was rested and Rohit was elevated to captaincy. The selectors see him as a leader and he might also be given the charge of the Indian team against South Africa.
#3 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is quite young to the Indian set-up, but he has already captained the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and Delhi had one of their most successful seasons under Iyer last year. Iyer is not very expressive on the field, but he still commands authority over his team and gets the job done, most importantly.
Another thing about Iyer is that he likes to take the responsibility upon himself to perform with the bat and lead from the front, much like Virat Kohli does.
Iyer has had a lot of success playing white-ball cricket for India in recent times and he is very high on confidence at the moment. This might be the right time for the Indian selectors to test his leadership potential as well.
