Who will become India's next Test captain?

Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket has left a huge leadership vacancy within the Indian game, we've assessed the likely candidates to replace him as Test match captain.

"It has been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites," said Rohit Sharma as he announced his retirement from cricket's longest format.

The outgoing skipper led his side out in 24 Test matches - winning half of those - giving him the best win percentage as India captain behind Virat Kohli.

Recent poor form has led to him making the decision to retire and selectors now face a scramble to find a new face before India's five-match series in England that starts in June.

Leading candidates

Shubman Gill

At just 25, you might think that Shubman Gill lacks the experience to lead his nation out in a Test match arena, but Gill has a wealth of leadership know-how.

In 2018, he was vice-captain as India U19s cruised to a World Cup victory and more recently was made captain of IPL side Gujarat Titans.

Their final-ball defeat of Mumbai Indians kept their place at the top of the league standings, with Gill the third-highest run-scorer in the competition.

The Punjab-native has always been viewed as a long-term captaincy prospect for his country and he would be a progressive choice by the selectors.

Jasprit Bumrah

Arguably Test cricket's premier fast bowler, but does Jasprit Bumrah have what it takes to step into the void left by Rohit?

The 31-year-old has already captained India on three separate occasions with two of those coming during their recent tour of Australia.

Bumrah has proven that he could do the job, but his injury record has to be a negative.

Missing for large portions of his career, his availability might make selectors think twice about awarding him the role on a full-time basis.

KL Rahul

Again, another player who has previous in leading India out at Test level, KL Rahul has won two of his three games as skipper.

With well over 200 appearances across all three formats for his country, he would bring a wealth of experience to the job.

Departing captain Rohit recently described Rahul as his 'crisis man', serving to highlight the importance he has within the team.

Whilst he has all the credentials, he would be viewed as a very conservative pick by selectors and after defeat in Australia, maybe more radical change is needed at the very top.