The pros and cons of India’s captaincy candidates for the Sri Lanka tour

There are frontrunners already, given their overall stature and experience, but the tour could also be a good opportunity for the team to experiment with one eye on the future, and select a younger face.

Shreyas Iyer, a solid candidate for the role, isn’t part of this list owing to his expected absence from the tour due to injury.

Shikhar Dhawan

Pros

Easily the most experienced among the options, Dhawan is the hot favourite for the job. Apart from the fact that he’s played close to 250 internationals, Dhawan has extensive captaincy experience across different levels of the game. He’s captained state U19s, IPL teams, and most recently, led Delhi in domestic T20s. A calm and level-headed player who could help give direction to the youth.

Cons

While the prospect of having an experienced hand like Dhawan seems right for captaincy, the tour is a good opportunity to try out a younger name instead. Dhawan could help mentor players without actually taking up the reins, with an opportunity for the side to mould a future skipper instead.

Hardik Pandya

Pros

Pandya brings a unique exuberance to any side and mixing it with captaincy could lead to an interesting outcome. In a five-year career, Pandya has improved by leaps and bounds, and has shown the ability to thrive under pressure and with responsibility. If he isn’t given the top role, he is, at the very least, a great vice-captaincy option. He could also act as a healthy bridge between the youngsters and the experienced lot.

Cons

A host of controversies are behind him, but there’s still a school of thought that feels Pandya isn’t quite the mature head yet. While that’s up for debate, what isn’t is the fact that Pandya’s still clawing his way back into mainstream cricket after a string of injuries, and adding captaincy could heighten the workload on a player still juggling to balance his two primary roles in the side.

Sanju Samson

Pros

It will be one inspired move (and a tad brazen), but Samson’s name does deserve a mention, if not for the crown right away. An active IPL skipper, Samson has been captaining Kerala right from his Under-13 days. A street-smart cricketer who represents new-age India, his appointment could push his career in the right direction. As a bonus, he’s worked extensively with Rahul Dravid, the interim coach on the tour, in the past during the IPL and on A tours.

Cons

Like always, his inconsistency comes in the way. Samson is brilliant, but there are always two sides of him: one that constructs scintillating knocks, and the other, the one who throws his wicket away in ways that induce instant hair-tearing. There’s merit in a new name, yes, but there’s also the risk of appointing someone whose place is not always guaranteed. Also, Samson is yet to play ODI cricket, and the chances of picking someone who regularly plays both formats is higher.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Pros

It’s easy to draw parallels between Bhuvneshwar and Ajinkya Rahane, two silent, level-headed warriors, and Bhuvneshwar can, too, realistically evolve into a part-time leader like Rahane. Bhuvneshwar’s tactical brilliance comes out in his bowling, and he’s shown ample evidence through his career to be the person the team can consistently lean on. The experience of playing close to ten years of international cricket cannot be undermined, and he has also, additionally, captained sides in List A, first-class cricket and IPL at different points.

Cons

It’s slippery territory: Bhuvneshwar’s career has been riddled by a spate of injuries, and there’s always a new issue lurking in the corner. While he is likely to cruise through unscathed in a limited-overs tour as short as this one, it brings back the question of picking a 31-year-old bowler with a history of injuries, who could, as crude as it sounds, drop by the side of the pitch after any delivery. Can India risk it? Moreover, the debate of picking a younger option arises again, especially if Bhuvneshwar is unlikely to be a long-term call for captaincy.