Team India: Selectors considering change of captain

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With eight straight Test defeats away from home and failing to reach the final of two multi national ODI tournaments, Mahendra Singh Dhoni must be extremely lucky if he continues to lead the national side in future.

The failure in T20 is also palpable, after winning the World Cup in 2007, India has failed to progress past the league stage in the next two
editions.

The overall captaincy record might still make the cut but recent results suggest otherwise.

The selection committee, headed by Kris Srikkanth, has been contemplating a change in leadership for a while.

For starters, they thought of dual captaincy as with most teams but what worked in Dhoni’s favour was a lack of a strong contender to challenge his position.

Sources close to the selection committee indicated a change is imminent after the one-off T20 international against South Africa.

With India set to play only at home for nearly a year after the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, it looks like perfect time to inject a new leader. Here is a look at the possible candidates who can replace Captain Cool.

Virender Sehwag

If the dashing opener had returned to some sort of form in Australia the debate for Dhoni’s successor could have well been over. Sehwag’s dipping average and questionable fitness have added to his woes.

He is the only player apart from Dhoni to have led India in all three formats and his success rate is not bad either. A lot will depend on how quickly he can regain form and prove fitness beyond doubt.

Sehwag's captaincy Record

Tests: P4, W2, L1, D1.
ODIs: P12, W7, L5.
T20: P1, W1.

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Gautam Gambhir

Seen as the natural successor to Dhoni, Gambhir has been troubled by various reasons. Apart from his rare failure in the Test series down Under, Gambhir also had to fight more than just injury.

At 30, Gambhir probably has a lot more to offer than Sehwag in terms of longevity. His perfect record as captain in ODIs is an indication of how well he enjoys the job.

Having lead Delhi and Kolkata in the IPL, Gambhir is not short of experience either.

Captaincy Record
ODIs: P6, W6.

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Suresh Raina

Made in-charge of the team for two overseas tours, when seniors were not available, Raina was seen as the future of Indian cricket but his below par show in Test cricket has left him in a muddle.

Seen as one of the brightest talents in the shorter versions, Raina has to shore up his technique in order to regain his spot in the Test side and then wait for elevation to leadership.

Captaincy Record

ODIs: P9, W4, L5.

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Virat Kohli

The purple patch he is in and sudden elevation to vice-captaincy is an indication to where selectors really want to invest. Kohli is no stranger to walking out for a toss.

Having led the India U-19 team to a World Cup win, the 23-year-old has tasted captaincy before.

If Gambhir is not the answer the Srikkanth led committee is looking for then the focus definitely shifts to youngster Kohli. And in that case Dhoni could hold on to the job till the end of the next season.