Full list of Indian captains across formats since Virat Kohli stepped down in 2021

Modified Aug 22, 2023 17:16 IST

Many players have captained India after Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli stunned the cricket world when he stepped down as India's T20I captain in 2021. The star Indian batter announced before the T20 World Cup in 2021 that he would leave captaincy in the shortest format of the game, following the mega event in the UAE.

After the tournament ended, the BCCI named Rohit Sharma as the new T20I captain. The selection committee wanted to have the same leader in ODI format as well, which is why they sacked Virat Kohli as the captain in the 50-over format, with Rohit becoming the new ODI skipper.

A few weeks later, after India lost to South Africa in an away Test series, Virat Kohli stepped down as the Test captain as well, with the BCCI naming Rohit Sharma as the new skipper in that format also.

While Rohit has been India's all-format captain since then, he has missed a lot of matches due to various reasons, forcing the team management to name other players as captains. Here's a list of all players who have captained India after Virat Kohli left the position in 2021.

#1 Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli

As mentioned earlier, Rohit Sharma took over the reins of the team from Virat Kohli. Sharma has captained India in nine Tests, 17 ODIs and 32 T20I matches since Kohli left the position.

The Hitman has done a brilliant job as captain. Under his captaincy, the team has won five Tests, 12 ODIs and 24 T20Is.

#2 KL Rahul

KL Rahul was the vice-captain of India when Rohit Sharma became the new skipper. Rahul got the opportunity to lead the Indian team in two Tests, seven ODIs and one T20I.

The Indian team has a 100% win record in Tests and T20Is under Rahul. The Men in Blue won four out of seven ODIs under Rahul.

#3 Jasprit Bumrah

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah became the captain of the Indian team when both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were unavailable for the rescheduled fifth Test against England last year. Bumrah lost his first Test as captain.

The pacer is currently captaining India in the T20I series against Ireland. India have gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

#4 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan led the Indian ODI side whenever the big guns were rested in 2021 and 2022. He captained the team in nine ODIs last year, where the team registered five wins.

Dhawan is no longer a part of the Indian squad. The left-handed batter was neither picked for the Asia Cup nor for the Asian Games.

#5 Hardik Pandya

All-rounder Hardik Pandya made his T20I captaincy debut against Ireland last year. He became India's new vice-captain in white-ball cricket after winning the IPL 2022 title as the Gujarat Titans captain.

So far, Pandya has captained India in 16 T20I matches and three ODIs, where the team has lost only six games. He will likely be the deputy skipper of India in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.

#6 Rishabh Pant

Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant captained the Indian team in a five-match T20I series against South Africa at home last year. The five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw.

Pant played a lot of games after that series, but he never got to captain the side again. He played under the leadership of the above-mentioned players.