3 players who can captain India against Afghanistan

Virat Kohli will travel to London and has been signed up by Surrey for the month of June, which means he will not be able to lead the Indian team in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Bangalore.

However, there are other candidates who can take up the mantle, and here in this slider, we take at three possible captaincy contenders.

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#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

India will be back in whites and once again R Ashwin could be back in the fold; he will be India's marquee bowler in case he does.

However, the selectors can well award him the captaincy if they want to look at his credentials. In the ongoing Indian Premier League, Ashwin was given the mantle by Kings XI Punjab and he has impressed everyone with his tactics and nuances.

He has been a part of the Indian Test team for a long time to understand the dynamics of the team and the selectors could well invest in him for this match.

#2 Cheteshwar Pujara

India's rock at number three, Cheteshwar Pujara is perhaps the constant factor in India's Test outfit.

He captains Saurashtra in Ranji Trophy and has also led the India A side in the past. He has impressed people with his knowledge and tactical nuances.

If the selectors are willing to be more flexible and experiment, they might well hand over the captaincy to Pujara and see how he adapts to the role.

Also, his batting might hit another gear with this added responsibility, which will only be a bonus for the Indian team ahead of the critical England tour.

#1 Ajinkya Rahane

India's vice-captain in the Test format, Ajinkya Rahane is the favourite to lead the Indian team against Afghanistan.

He has led the team once against Australia in Dharamsala where India sealed the deal with ease, and Rahane was quite impressive with his captaincy. He used the bowlers perfectly and then threw in his spinners at just the right time.

Also, he drew a lot of praise for his field adjustments and kept attacking fields right throughout the match which never allowed the match to drift away.

Barring any last minute injury woes, Rahane is sure to lead the Indian team against Afghanistan!