3 Indians who can become the next captain after Virat Kohli

The retirement of MS Dhoni was a big blow to Indian cricket as he was a fantastic leader who served the team for long. As everyone thought after his retirement the team would go into a transition phase and will face a few difficult years, Virat Kohli stepped in and made sure that didn't quite happen.

The Delhi-born lad has won a test in every country while captaining India in a full-fledged series and also has six double hundreds while doing so. Virat has won 22 out of his 39 tests as captain with a win percentage of 56. As a captain, Virat Kohli has scored 4000 test runs already at an average of 65 including 16 centuries.

As Virat is at the peak of his career right now, it is the best time to start grooming a new captain under his leadership to make sure that the transition is smooth when the captain hangs up his boots.

Here are the three names who can assume the leadership role after Virat Kohli.

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#3 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is currently the hottest property in India's domestic circuit. For over three years now, the Mumbai lad has been piling on runs for his domestic side and is constantly on the fringes of Indian selection. In 49 first-class games, Iyer has scored 4148 runs at a staggering average of 53.

However, luck hasn't gone his way and Iyer hasn't got as many opportunities as he should have while lesser talented players have gotten a long rope. Iyer remains out of the ODI team currently but very much in the scheme of things and could certainly be looked upon as the next leader.

Iyer captained the Delhi Daredevils in the second half of the IPL 2018 and revived Delhi's horrible campaign after they were already out of the race. He has experience in leading the India 'A' team on several occasions. Iyer has shades of Virat Kohli in him which makes him an apt successor.

#2 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw, India's U-19 World-Cup winner of 2018 is currently looked upon to be the brightest batting talent in Indian cricket. Shaw has taken giant strides in first-class cricket which has paved his way into the Indian team.

The Mumbai batsman led from the front for his team in the 2018 U-19 World Cup and steered his team to the title victory. In 14 first-class games, Shaw has scored over 1418 runs at an average of 56 with as many as seven hundreds.

It is beyond doubt that cricket experts are already looking at Prithvi Shaw to lead the charge for India sometime down the line. Shaw has a sound technique and patience which makes him a player capable of having high-scoring innings.

#1 Hardik Pandya

One of the brightest prospects in the Indian cricket at the moment, Hardik Pandya has come a long way from being a bits and pieces cricketer to India's preferred all-rounder in Test match cricket. Hardik is a ferocious striker who can clear any boundary at will and an intimidating bowler who can bowl useful spells, not to mention his superb fielding skills.

Hardik, at 24, has already spent a fair amount of time in international cricket playing 11 Tests and more than 40 ODIs and has established himself very well in the Indian team. Even though he seems to be naive sometimes, and one who can make some school-boy errors, Hardik is sure to evolve into a matured cricketer few years down the line.

By the time Virat Kohli gives up the captaincy mantle, Hardik will be ready to fill in his big shoes and will be the first man to be looked at. The Baroda all-rounder, however, does not have experience of leading a team in a recognized tournament yet.