The fifth Test between India and Australia in Sydney could well decide the future of a few senior cricketers, including Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma. The visitors have had their moments in the series, but they failed to capitalised on it, resulting in a 2-1 deficit ahead of the final Test. Jasprit Bumrah has been top-notch, while KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Reddy have shown glimpses of brilliance, but the lack of support from key players like Kohli, Rohit, and Rishabh Pant has hurt the team.

Rohit, especially, has looked completely out of touch. It's not that he has just been out of form in the Border-Gavaskar series, but his performance in the last few years has been shambolic. If India fail to win the Sydney Test, which is a must-win for the team to keep WTC hopes alive, there are good chances that he along with Kohli will be shown a way out of the Test side, and there will be no way back.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah On Cusp Of Historic Feat In Sydney Test

If Rohit steps down or he is left out of the team, India will have to find a new captain. Jasprit Bumrah is the front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma. Bumrah is the vice-captain of the team and led India to a win in the Perth Test. He has proved his credentials as a credible leader. The only concern for India before handing the leadership reins to Bumrah will be his workload. Bumrah, being India's best bowler across formats, would need frequent breaks, something that regular captains don't do often.

Split Captaincy - A Viable Solution

Rohit Sharma led India across formats before drawing the curtains on his T20I career. Bumrah can't afford that. The most feasible outcome of the captaincy conundrum could be the board handing Test leadership to Bumrah and looking out for a new captain in white ball cricket. Rohit Sharma hasn't retired in ODIs so he will be available to lead the side, at least till the ICC Champions Trophy. Post his retirement, India still have many options in KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant. In T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has already established himself as a good leader. Split captaincy will allow Bumrah to be available for most Test series while he can manage his workload in white-ball formats.

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