It’s fair to argue that Test cricket is losing the war against the lesser forms’ crash-bang-wallop style. Red-ball action is loved by cricket enthusiasts and purists alike, but the oldest format is quickly running out of room on the schedule.
Take for instance, the SA20 league coming up in January. It’s caused Cricket South Africa to assemble a notably inexperienced team for their pending game against New Zealand. The Proteas will be led by Neil Brand, who’s yet to make his Test debut.
While Test Cricket could be gradually losing its attraction to audiences, it manages to retain a revered spot among many players and fans. A significant number of top players globally have clearly stated their special regards for it.
Still, life isn’t perfect, and unexpected events have stopped some players from regularly fulfilling a coveted role in the sport – serving as a Test captain. These athletes are seldom, if ever, seen donning the celebrated blazer now.
These three elite athletes need to be leading Test captains at the moment.
1. Virat Kohli – India
Virat Kohli chose to resign from Test leadership as well, having already been eased out of the position in the other two formats. Under Rohit Sharma, India has remained among the top white-ball teams in the world, but in red-ball cricket, they are sorely without the services of their previous captain.
India won 40 out of 68 games under Virat Kohli’s leadership. With 25 Tests completed, Virat Kohli’s victory percentage of 58.82% is better than that of any other captains in Test history, including Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, who both had access to world-class teams. Virat Kohli also scored 29 Test centuries, the most by any Indian skipper.
Only five captains have led their teams in as many Tests as the 35-year-old, whose side was merciless at home and produced fantastic results on demanding tours of Australia and England away from home.
Although Rohit has assumed leadership in Test matches as well, his captaincy doesn’t appear to be as effective as that of his predecessor. India hasn’t been attacking enough and has appeared to be lacking enthusiasm on the field.
It’s possible that Virat Kohli, the most successful Indian Test captain, no longer wants to lead the team, and the BCCI has obviously made progress. But in an ideal world, the format’s celebrity batter, Virat Kohli, would be in charge. Virat Kohli has been an inspiration for many young cricketers and a role model for millions of fans.
2. Kane Williamson – New Zealand
Tim Southee took over as New Zealand’s Test captain when Kane Williamson resigned in December 2022. Even if the elegant hitter has been producing plenty of runs since then, the format is losing out since one of its stars isn’t in the lead.
In 40 Test matches, Williamson captained the Blackcaps, winning 22, drawing 10, and losing just eight. During his tenure, New Zealand won the maiden World Test Championship by defeating India in the final. His victory percentage of 55.00% is among the greatest.
Williamson nears his 100th Test. He’s sure to be ranked as an all-time top batter. We could have seen him also rank as a top-notch Test captain, yet he chose to step down. This was probably his perfect format to remain a leader.
3. Steve Smith – Australia
Steve Smith’s record will always be marred by the Sandpaper Gate controversy. It not only severely damaged his image, but it also took a year off his best years and made sure that his once promising captaincy career was cut short.
In 38 Test matches as Australia’s captain, Smith has had 21 victories, 10 draws, and 7 defeats. His 55.26% victory percentage is quite similar to the other outstanding Australian captains already mentioned.
After his exile, Steve Smith was without a captain for a few years, although Cricket Australia has recently indicated a small degree of forgiveness for his past. Since being fired in 2018, he has captained the squad in four Test matches, winning three and drawing one.
Smith knows strategy like few others. He stepped in for Pat Cummins in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Almost pulled off an astounding comeback by winning in Indore and achieving a draw in Ahmedabad.
Smith’s batting could be better, but he’s still a top player. Though Cummins is getting better at Test captaincy despite subpar games against England and India, Smith’s game insight and wise choices stand out.
