Virat Kohli to lead India again as Gautam Gambhir ready to dump Rohit Sharma

Veteran cricketer Virat Kohli is in line to become India's Test captain for the second time. It is believed that the idea of Kohli being given the Test captaincy has received support from the team's head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Currently, Rohit Sharma is India's designated Test captain. However, his future is uncertain given his poor batting form in the red-ball format recently. Although Rohit wants to continue fighting to regain form, the team management is preparing for his absence.

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Virat Kohli receives Gautam Gambhir's support for India's Test captaincy

According to Mykhel, Gautam Gambhir is in favor of Virat Kohli becoming India's Test captain again. A source close to the development claimed that India need Kohli's aggressive captaincy at the start of the next WTC cycle and he is well suited to that role.

"Coach Gautam Gambhir has backed the idea of Virat (Kohli) leading the Test team again. But he is yet to clear his stance officially. Team India has done well under the aggressive captaincy of Virat, especially in overseas conditions," the source said.

"With the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle starting, the team needs a leader like Kohli because the next line of Test leaders is still in development. In the interim, Kohli looks like the most suited option," he further added.

With the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle starting, the team needs a leader like Kohli because the next line of Test leaders is still in development. In the interim, Kohli looks like the most suited option," he further added.

Apart from Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Jasprit Bumrah are the other options who can lead India in Tests. But the sources claim that the players are yet not ready to take up the captaincy yet which makes Kohli a high possibility to lead the team again.

Virat Kohli's record as India's Test captain

Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test captain with 40 wins and 17 defeats. His win percentage of 58.82 is the best among those who have led the team in at least seven Tests.

Kohli led India from 2014 to 2022 in which the team achieved many greater heights. Under his leadership, India defeated Australia at their home in 2018-19 Test series and even finished as the runners-up of WTC 2021.

Why is Jasprit Bumrah not in line for Test captaincy?

Currently, Jasprit Bumrah is India's vice-captain in Tests but his recent injury concerns raises questions over his availability for all the matches. Bumrah has been a top performer for India in Test cricket and possibly their best player in the past few years.

He has also shown good leadership skills in the limited amount of Tests he has led so far. But the team management doesn't want him to burden with the captaincy role and want him to concentrate on his bowling.

Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy recently with 32 wickets in 9 Tests at an average of 13.06. He single-handedly kept India in the hunt but his injury in the last Test proved detrimental to his team's chances.