“The unfortunate part is that the selectors I have seen over the last six-seven years neither have the vision, deep knowledge about the game or cricketing sense. They made Shikhar Dhawan India captain (when tours overlapped and main players were unavailable); it is where you can groom the future captain,” said Dilip Vengsarkar, former India captain and chief selector.

Now, the question is, who after Rohit? “You haven’t groomed anybody. You just play as it comes. You talk about the richest cricket board in the world, where is the bench strength? Just having IPL, earning crores of rupees in media rights, it should not be the only achievement,” Vengsarkar said.

The 116-Test veteran pointed out the appointment of the West Zone skipper. “In the West Zone side for Duleep Trophy, we have picked Priyank Panchal (33) as captain when you could have groomed a future India player like Ruturaj Gaikwad. That is what I call a lack of vision for the game.”

For India, potential candidates who were seen as leadership material have lost form or are dealing with injuries -- KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer. This adds a new challenge to the transition phase.

KL Rahul is the favourite for Test captaincy, though his inconsistency leaves a question mark. Rahul’s last Test half-century was in January 2022, against South Africa. Since then, in 10 innings, his highest score is 23.

Listing the qualities selectors look for while grooming a captaincy candidate, Vengsakar says: “First and foremost he should be an automatic choice in the team because you pick the team and not the other way around.”

Another former national selector, Bhupinder Singh Sr, who served from 2005 to 2008, says you don’t want a situation where the captain drags the side down. “First thing is he should hold his place in the team whatever format you are picking him for. You are sure that for the next couple of years he will not be a liability in the team.”

One of the issues with Rahul has been his frequent breakdowns. Just when he is getting into the groove, the breaks seem to affect his rhythm. Rahul is now recuperating from a thigh muscle injury picked up in IPL.

So far, his captaincy has been a mixed bag. Stepping in for Virat Kohli in the second Test in South Africa in 2022, he was uninspiring as India lost to squander the series lead. When he led in the two Tests in Bangladesh at the end of last year, he showed the ability to put behind his indifferent batting form, captaining the side to wins in both the games.

BUMRAH'S BREAKDOWN

Bhupinder, the former India and North Zone bowler, says: “The captain has to be able to pull his weight in the team.” In that sense, Bumrah is a top candidate. It was why he led in the deciding fifth Test in England in 2022. Unfortunately, his injury lay-off has hurt his captaincy chances too.

PANT SETBACK

India’s biggest setback was Pant’s car accident. Through his dynamism at the crease, Pant also was a contender for the leadership role. The serious injuries suffered in the car crash last December have sidelined him since.

It is tough for a keeper-batter to click as skipper but the selectors were encouraged after MS Dhoni’s success. It was Vengsarkar’s committee that picked Dhoni as captain. “Apart from being an automatic choice in the team, you look at the player’s cricketing acumen, body language, ability to lead from the front and man management skills.

“We saw Dhoni's approach to the game, body language, how he spoke to others; we got a positive feedback.”

IPL ROUTE

In the Indian set-up now, the first step is captaining an IPL side -- a high-pressure job needing quick reaction and ability to think on the feet.

One potential captaincy material to emerge was Shreyas Iyer. In Tests, he impressed with his positive batting in subcontinent conditions. If he convinces in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries as well, he will be a leadership candidate.

He has reasonable captaincy experience in IPL, having done well with Delhi Capitals before being handed the top job at Kolkata Knight Riders. Injuries have blighted his career too. He is currently sidelined after undergoing back surgery.

BEST PLAYER AS CAPTAIN

There are examples of captains being chosen purely on leadership skills, but the easy choice is to make the best player the captain.

Shubman Gill is emerging as Virat Kohli's heir in batting, whether he can be groomed for leadership is something the think-tank will consider. He is rapidly developing into an all-round batter and has shown mastery over all conditions and oppositions. The last bit of cricketing education left for him is tightening his technique against the moving ball in swinging conditions. India relied on him to make an impact in the WTC final and his low scores hurt their chances.

It could be a tad early though, says Bhupinder, who has seen Gill’s progress from age group cricket. “I will not rush him at this juncture because we want to see him as the next batting legend of the country. If things go well, which I am sure will, he can be the next batting sensation from this country. He has that game, aura and personality. In that process, later on, we can see him develop as a good captain also.”

DOMESTIC PLATFORM

Vengsarkar said tournaments like Duleep Trophy (five teams) and Irani Cup are good platforms to groom the next line. “Because you have Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup, you can always groom the players/captains. It’s an opportunity to groom six captains, including one in Irani Cup.”