Who after Kohli-Rohit? Pujara-Rahane… it's time to go: Addressing Team India's burning questions ahead of next WTC cycle

Following a heavy 209-run defeat to Australia in the final of the World Test Championship – their second WTC final loss – India are once again left with more questions than answers. Time is ticking, with no solution in sight. Despite coming so close, the ICC silverware continues to elude this solid on-paper team. Muddled team selections and never-ending injury concerns have no immediate end in sight and the once-fabled superstars are entering the final stages of their careers. Questions are being raised of Rohit Sharma's position as Test captain and the delay in bringing fresh blood. As India replenish their batteries and begin the next World Test Championship cycle with a two-Test series against the West Indies in July, we look at a few burning questions the captain, coach, players and management need to address before it's too late.

Are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's replacements ready?

Virat Kohli is 34, Rohit Sharma 36. By the time the next WTC cycle completes its course, you do the math. Rohit, in all probability will be done, even if Kohli carries on for another year. But irrespective of whatever the decision is, India need to get their next generation of Test cricketers ready. In Shubman Gill, we have a superstar in the making, but a huge question mark prevails over his opening partner in Tests. Prithvi Shaw has long choked on his opportunities, while Ishan Kishan is currently far from convincing against the moving ball. Which brings us to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal, after following a memorable IPL 2023 season, was added to the Indian squad for the WTC final as a stand-by… and boy, did he make heads turn in his first-ever practice session with the national team. Besides, he had scored 498 runs from 3 matches for Mumbai at the Ranji Trophy. Here is a player who has excelled in both First-Class and T20. Selectors… GET HIM IN!

Kohli's case is a bit trickier, and it all depends on what he wants to do and how he wants to prioritize his cricket. In all likelihood, Kohli is not longer part of India's T20I plans, and whether he continues to play the ODIs beyond the World Cup this year is somewhat of a puzzle. He is fit and has the hunger, but Kohli will need to take stock of limited-overs future, to prolong his Test career. In all likelihood, Shreyas Iyer is next in line to replace Kohli, unless the team management decides to give Gill the responsibility of being India's No. 4. Having said that, Iyer, who recently underwent a back surgery, has been prone to injuries and his struggles against the short ball can make him a walking wicket in places like England and Australia.

Who is India's next Test captain?

To be honest… Rohit's captaincy record in Tests isn't the worst. He ensured India reached the WTC final by leading them to a win in his first real test as captain against Australia. But his age and fitness threaten to take it all away. Since being appointed India's all-format captain in January of 2022, Rohit's injuries have forced him to miss the rescheduled England Test (due to Covid) and the Bangladesh series (fractured finger). The three contenders to succeed Rohit are KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah – all three of whom are sidelined due to injuries with no fixed timeline of a potential return.

Rahul's captaincy skills in the Johannesburg where Kohli got injured were pretty unconvincing it seems, which is why Rohit could have landed the job in the first place, while Hardik Pandya – looked at as India's next ODI and T20I captain – is uncertain of handling the rigours of all three formats given his surgically-repaired back. Rishabh Pant is young, and having already established himself as a Test great, he would have been the obvious choice had it not been for that dreaded car crash. Similarly, Bumrah, who captained India in the Edgbaston Test last year, showed spark with his solid captaincy acumen, but with a fragile back, even if he is to return at full tilt, will BOOM be able to last long, given that he may not play Tests in India at all going forward? Nevertheless, it is the ideal time for Rohit and selectors to sit down, have a chat and build a roadmap for India's future.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane… THANK YOU but it's time to go!

The two pillars of India's middle-order of the last decade are beginning to crumble, and with so many youngsters waiting, there cannot be a better time to groom them. It won't be the first time that the management looked beyond Pujara and Rahane. Both were dropped in 2022 but made their comeback into the Playing XI through very different routes. Pujara scored truckloads of runs for Surrey in the County Championship, but against a superior attack at the same venue, couldn't make it count in the WTC final.

Rahane's comeback is one that will be talked about for ages, but despite scoring 89 and 46, he is not the future. That the team management had to fall back on him with Rahul and Iyer injured highlights their missed opportunity with the youngsters. However, they can rectify that mistake now. Get in Sarfaraz Khan, get in Abhimanyu Easwaran… reward the Ranji sloggers; even Dhruv Jurel for that matter – at least for home Tests – and begin with that transition. 10 years ago, in 2013, Rahane was struggling to break into India's Test XI due to the impending retirement of Sachin Tendulkar. Funny how things have changed.

Where are the next crop of fast bowlers?

All good things must come to an end. The once-destructive fast-bowling unit under Kohli and Ravi Shastri that gave England '60 minutes of hell' is running out of gas. The same bowlers who made taking 20 wickets in a Test the new norm are wearing out, getting injured and more importantly lacking intent. Between 2018 and 2022, India's fast bowlers took 506 wickets at an average of 23.96 but it has now been four consecutive Tests overseas that India have failed to pick all 20 wickets overseas – Johannesburg '22, Cape Town '22, Edgbaston '22 and the WTC final. Bumrah's action has caught up with his back, Umesh Yadav rests more than he plays and Ishant Sharma could well have played his final Test. Mohammed Shami has become the leader of the pacer attack supported wonderfully by a sharp and ruthless Mohammed Siraj. Once Bumrah returns, they will form India's top choice pacers.

But the back-up fast bowlers' department is where India are being made to fret. An automatic go-to option would be Shardul Thakur, but who beyond him? Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan are two names that come to mind. Both are tall and can bowl quick, and once Prasidh recovers from injury, the selectors need to fast track him back into the national team quickly. Arshdeep Singh has taken baby steps towards Test cricket by signing up with Kent in the County Championship, whereas Umran Malik can't be counted out either.

Spinners MIA?

So dominant have Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja been in the last 10 years that India didn't need to sweat much about their successors. But after Ashwin's stunning revelation where he contemplated his future after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Jadeja's knee injury, the selection committee may just need to scurry through the reserves list.

With Ashwin no longer an automatic choice in Tests overseas, the obvious choice is Washington Sundar considering his all-round skills. But the biggest obstacle is his fitness – twice he has pulled his hamstring in four months. Currently playing the TNPL, Washington would hope for a fresh start in the Duleep Trophy and slowly find his way back into the Test team. Axar Patel has more than filled in for Ravindra Jadeja, but barring these two, there is a major drought of spinners. It is clear by now that the management does not see a potential Test spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal while fellow leg-spinner Rahul Chahar is grinding it out for India A. Oh, and there's Kuldeep Yadav, who has played just two Tests after picking up a five-wicket-haul against Australia in Sydney.