IND vs ENG: 3 Indian Players Apart From Rohit Sharma Who Can Captain Team India

After the ongoing Test series against South Africa, Team India will wrestle with England in a Test series. The IND vs ENG Test series will begin on January 25 with the first encounter and observe a total of 5 matches till March 2024.

Ben Stokes will lead England in the IND vs ENG Test series. The Englishmen will have a tough challenge on Indian soil in the Test series. Although England players are quite powerful on flat pitches, they often struggle in the sub-continent on spin tracks.

India is yet to announce their squad for the IND vs ENG series. Rohit Sharma is the skipper of Team India. If India loses the ongoing Test series to South Africa, selectors might transfer leadership to other players. Notably, Virat Kohli left the captaincy after the Test series loss to South Africa in January 2021.

Similarly, Rohit Sharma might leave the captaincy or get changed if India faced a whitewash against the Proteas. In such a scenario, someone else will need to grab the reins of the Test team. Here we look at 3 Indian players apart from Rohit Sharma who can captain Team India in the IND vs ENG series.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: 3 Indian Players Who Can Make Their Test Debut

IND vs ENG: 3 Indian Players Apart From Rohit Sharma Who Can Captain Team India

3. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is the first player who can captain Team India in the IND vs ENG series apart from Rohit Sharma. The right-arm spinner is a permanent member of the India Test team. The right-arm spinner has executed a wonderful performance in 2023, hunting 41 wickets in 7 Tests at an average of 17.02.

Ashwin also grabbed 4 five-wicket hauls and 1 ten-wicket haul in the longest format this year. He also surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests after Anil Kumble. With his experience and leadership skills, Ashwin can lead the side for some time until the management finds a new young captain.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: India Test Squad for England Series

2. KL Rahul

KL Rahul is another player who can take the captainship of Team India in the IND vs ENG Test series. Rahul has also led the side in the past, when Virat Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy and Rohit Sharma was not available.

KL Rahul was the Test vice-captain till the Australia series in March 2023. Due to his poor show in the series, he was removed as the vice-captain. However, KL Rahul has made a stunning comeback post his thigh surgery.

The right-handed batsman recently shattered a century in the 1st Test against South Africa. He has also done a wonderful job as a wicketkeeper in the absence of Rishabh Pant. Recently, KL Rahul led the ODI team to a 2-1 victory against South Africa.

Also Read: England Deserve A Whitewash – Steve Harmison Slams England’s Preparation Strategy For India Tour

1. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is the third player on this list. When Rohit Sharma was absent from a rescheduled Test match against England in 2022, Jasprit Bumrah led the team in his absence.

Bumrah is one of the few members who play for Team India in all three formats.  For the past few years, Bumrah has led the pace attack for Team India in Tests.  The Mumbai Indians star recently grabbed a 4-wicket haul against South Africa in 1st Test.

He missed a lot of action due to a back injury but has been wonderful since his comeback in August 2023. Bumrah is another player who can lead the team in Rohit Sharma’s absence in the IND vs ENG Test series.