Veteran cricketer Virat Kohli has a strong chance of becoming India's captain again as chaos continues in the Indian dressing room. Kohli's captaincy rumors come at a time when pressure continues on skipper Rohit Sharma due to India's poor results.
India coach Gautam Gambhir is also believed to be facing scrutiny over the disappointing results. There have been questions about Gambhir's ability to manage a team that is suffering from low confidence after a poor performance against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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Rohit Sharma's last Test series
Recent reports have suggested that there is unrest in the Indian dressing room which has made it difficult for Rohit Sharma to remain in the Test team. Rohit has struggled to score runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is doubtful for the final Test due to his poor form.
According to TOI, Rohit Sharma is unlikely to play Test cricket after the ongoing series against Australia. Rohit may have played his last Test in Melbourne, but he may not officially announce his retirement yet given the already tense atmosphere in the dressing room.
Meanwhile, the report also claims that Gautam Gambhir did not find it easy to communicate with the players in the dressing room. When asked about Rohit's availability for the Sydney Test in the press conference, Gambhir did not confirm it which puts his Test future in jeopardy.
Virat Kohli could become India's Test captain
Rohit's unavailability means the selectors will be looking for a new captain in the Test format. In such a situation, Virat Kohli's name comes to take over the Test captaincy. There were reasons to justify Kohli's return to the leadership role.
Kohli has been fully engaged in the field in recent Tests and has been leading the team's sets as well. He is often seen mentoring younger players and his involvement suggests he is a prime option to take over the Test captaincy again.
In the Boxing Day Test, Virat Kohli was seen taking more responsibility and setting the pitch just like a captain. He looked more active on the field than regular captain Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli has scored as Test captain
Before Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli was the captain of India and even has a good record. During his reign, India won 40 matches and lost 17 in 68 Tests with an impressive win percentage of 70.17%. He remains India's most successful captain in Test cricket.
Kohli led the team from 2014 to 2022. Under his leadership, India achieved great success in overseas Tests, which also became the highlight of his captaincy. Kohli led India to a historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia in 2018 as the Men in Blue became the first Asian team to win a Test series on Australian soil.
However, Virat Kohli's appointment may be a setback for Jasprit Bumrah, India's current vice-captain. Bumrah was expected to take over from Rohit Sharma and also led India to victory in Perth recently.
Meanwhile, BCCI is also not happy with the way Ravichandran Ashwin was handled by the team management. Ashwin announced his retirement after the third Test at the Gabba which came as a huge shock. The next day after announcing his retirement, he returned to India.