5 Indian Players Who Can Break Virat Kohli’s Test Captaincy Record

When Virat Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy after the 2-1 series defeat against South Africa in 2022, he finished as India’s most successful captain of the longest format. He led the side to 40 victories in 68 encounters with a win-loss ratio of 2.35.

During his tenure, India earned success in various positions, including not losing a home Test series, winning two successive red-ball series in Australia, and winning in Sri Lanka.

His intense field placement and getting on the face of the opponent side always kept him ahead in his career than the other Test leaders in history.

After Virat Kohli’s sudden decision to leave Test captaincy, Rohit Sharma shouldered the responsibility.

It won’t be an easy job to match Kohli’s Test leadership record, but there are a few players who can do that in the future.

Here are the 5 Indian players who can break Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy record

1. Shubman Gill

After Rohit retires from the five-day format, many reports have claimed that Shubman Gill would be the perfect choice to lead the Indian side in Tests.

The youngster has led the Punjab side in the Ranji Trophy before leading the India A side during last year’s domestic tournament.

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s 5 Best Innings In Test Cricket

Gill has also displayed his intense nature in captaining the Gujarat Titans during the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League.

At 25, he has the age on his side to be the new captain and captain the team for a long time, to think of breaking Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy record.

2. Jasprit Bumrah

Many raised their voice that the premier Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who has already led the blue brigade in a couple of Tests, will be the ideal option to replace Rohit.

Bumrah became the Indian Test captain in 2022 when Rohit missed the one-off game with an injury. The pacer was aggressive in leading the side.

He also showed aggression during his second Test as captain in the recent Perth game during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a huge margin of 295 runs. He can break Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy record.

3. KL Rahul

KL Rahul’s captaincy in Tests began in 2022 during the South Africa trip when Virat Kohli missed the second Test with an injury.

In three games, the veteran has gained two wins at a winning rate of 66.67%. He could be another option to lead the side after Rohit’s retirement.

Rahul has shown the skills and capabilities to do well in the longest format. In the shortest format, he has already done a very decent job in captaincy and can break Kohli’s record in the future.

4. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal isn’t an option one may think of for captaincy, but the left-handed batter has displayed his success and growth in the longest format in such a short span.

In 36 innings, the southpaw has clubbed 1798 runs at an average of 52.88, thanks to four centuries and 10 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 214 runs.

Also Read: 5 Matches That Will Define Virat Kohli’s Legacy As India’s Greatest Test Captain

He is not the best option to lead the side at present, but he can get the chance and break Kohli’s record in the future.

5. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has 2948 runs in 75 Test innings at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate of 73.62, thanks to six centuries and 15 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 159 runs. Pant hasn’t had the chance to lead the Test side yet.

But in the future, he could be the one who could captain India in the red-ball format and break Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy record in the upcoming years.