5 Players who can become the next Indian captain after Virat Kohli

Team India has been blessed with great captains in every generation. Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and MS Dhoni have all captained the team with distinction during their tenure. The latest addition to this list of captains to lead India is Virat Kohli.

Kohli has taken the world cricket by storm with his batting, and his style of leading the team has captured the eye of every cricket fan.

Virat is a captain who goes out and sets huge standards for his teammates to follow. He is also a live-wire on the field constantly encouraging his bowlers. While Virat is still at the peak of his fitness and will continue to serve India for many more years to come, all good things must eventually come to an end.

India must look to groom young leaders or look up to one of their senior players to handle this role when Virat calls it a day. Here are 5 players who can take up the leadership role after Virat Kohli:

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#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Another captain cool

"Sometimes it's the people no one imagines anything of who do things that no one can imagine." A quote from the movie Imitation Game that perfectly suits Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar does not come across a person who is a natural leader like Virat Kohli, but silently he has been the leader of this Indian bowling attack for years now.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most improved player in the Indian team since the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Kumar was touted to be the next Irfan Pathan who could swing the ball both ways and could be useful with the bat whenever necessary, and he has never disappointed.

Bhuvneshwar added new facets to his bowling as he now clicks at 135+ constantly and is the best death bowler after Bumrah that India has to offer. This reflects the character of Kumar.

Here is a player who is constantly improving himself for the betterment of the team. This is the culture that Virat Kohli has been trying to inculcate into this young Indian team. Bhuvneshwar can be the guy the team can look up to when Kohli hangs up his boots.

#4 Rishabh Pant

The Delhi Connection

The 20-year-old southpaw from Delhi has made a name for himself in the cricket circuit. The swashbuckling star made an instant impact in his U19 days and has been taking giant strides since then. Owing to some good performances for India A, he got a spot in the Indian Test squad.

Injuries to Saha and Dinesh Karthik allowed Pant to make a debut in the recently concluded Test series against England where he struggled initially, but in the last innings of the final Test, he made a daring century to keep up the promise that he had shown.

At a tender age of 20, Pant already has the responsibility of leading his Delhi team in the Ranji Trophy and has done a reasonable job. A secured spot and experience in the domestic sector will make him a credible player to become the captain.

#3 Prithvi Shaw

The Prodigy

Handling pressure and expectation are the prerequisites in order to become a successful captain. Prithvi Shaw has been doing that for more than 5 years now where he has been constantly compared with the Master Blaster- Sachin Tendulkar.

Shaw came into the limelight when he struck a mammoth 564 runs at a tender age of 14 in the Harris Shield trophy. His elegant footwork and technique have been the reason for his comparison with Tendulkar.

Everything that Shaw touched has become gold. Just like Virat Kohli, Shaw took his team to U19 WC glory. He has also been amazing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. His purple patch recently earned him a spot in the Indian Test squad.

It is only a matter of time before he breaks into the Indian team. Will Prithvi Shaw manage to replicate what Kohli did, or will he become the next Unmukt Chand? Only time will tell.

#2 Shreyas Iyer

Hottest Product

The Mumbai lad hit the headlines when he started to make a heap of runs in the domestic circuit and has been constantly knocking on the doors of the Indian team since then. After his stints in the U19 WC 2014 and Vijay Hazare Trophy, Delhi Daredevils picked up this future superstar for a huge sum of 2.6 crores for the 2015 edition of IPL.

2018 IPL was the crowning moment for Shreyas Iyer where he was made the captain of Delhi Daredevils after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the same. A new side of Shreyas Iyer started to unravel as every innings of his from then on had a stamp of maturity and calmness around it.

These performances have led to everyone believe that Shreyas Iyer is indeed the man to succeed Virat Kohli. Iyer is yet to make to secure his spot in the Indian side, but age is still on his side.

#1 Lokesh Rahul

The most likely option

The batsmen in India have a plethora of talents, but it is safe to say that none can match the technique shown by Lokesh Rahul. When Rahul made his debut, he was touted as the next Rahul Dravid thanks to his temperament and style. He modified to his gameplay to become a batsman for all formats while still retaining the orthodox shots just like Virat Kohli.

While Rahul is yet to make secure a spot in the ODI team, he is a regular member in the longest as well as the shortest format of the game. Rahul has already scored 2 hundred in T20 internationals and even scored the bulk of his runs in difficult conditions in the Test format.

By the time Kohli gives up captaincy, Rahul will already be an experienced batsman and will be ready to take up the mantle.