IN PICTURES: Who will be Kohli's long-term deputy?

Five options to choose India's vice-captain from

Captaining a side can be tricky business, especially in a country like India where players are exposed to unparalleled scrutiny from fans and media alike.

In the absence of a good support structure in terms of coaches, support staff and players, a captain isn’t guaranteed victory. But if one looks back, Indian cricket has flourished the most when there has been a strong, non-ambitious deputy, supporting the leader at all costs.

Be it in the partnership between Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid or the one involving MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag, the vice-captain has almost always had a large role to play in the team’s successes.

With Virat Kohli leading a young Indian Test side, we look at five players who can play the role of Kohli’s deputy in Tests for a long time to come.

AJINKYA RAHANE

The current vice-captain of the Test team, Rahane is possibly India’s most underrated performer. It’s a role lot like Dravid’s in his playing days, and the comparison isn’t just based on their slip catching abilities. Rahane’s calm demeanour and stable game-style can complement Kohli’s aggressive instincts supremely.

MURALI VIJAY

Another of India’s Test mainstays, Vijay’s rise in whites has been on the back of some impressive performances in South Africa, England and Australia. The Tamil Nadu batsman – although lacking in captaincy experience – was instrumental in turning around the Kings XI Punjab’s IPL campaign earlier this year. Like Rahane, Vijay too, can be the yin to Kohli’s yang.

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN

Ashwin is possibly one of the foremost contenders to bag the vice-captain’s job considering his phenomenal performances with both bat and ball in recent times. Currently ranked the world’s best Test bowler, Ashwin has been his captains’ go-to man in all three formats for a while now. His astute cricket brain is something India could benefit from a great deal.

ISHANT SHARMA

Similar to the kind of role Zaheer Khan played for MS Dhoni, Ishant Sharma, the current leader of the Indian pace attack, can very well assist Kohli by being the de-facto bowling captain. In an ecosystem where batsman are preferentially treated when it comes to getting leadership roles, Sharma can be the exception.

CHETESHWAR PUJARA 

The one with the outside chance, Pujara will first need to cement is place in the Test side to be eligible for this role. In the scenario that he does manage to get a string of good scores and make the number three spot his own, the Test specialist Pujara can work wonders in imparting the virtues of doggedness and patience in an outfit that is at times lagging behind as a result of over-exposure to cricket’s shorter formats.

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