Former England captain Kevin Pietersen says Tim Paine's reign as Australian skipper is over, following the 2-1 series defeat to India.
Paine has now lost two home series as captain, both to India, and at the age of 36 questions are being asked about his future.
The wicketkeeper declared after the Brisbane Test that he wanted to lead the side to South Africa next month, should that tour go ahead.
But Pietersen, whose own stint as England captain was brief and tumultuous, believes Australia should have a new leader for the next Test.
"Australians don't like to lose and the knives will be out for a few members of that team after this defeat," Pietersen wrote in his blog for Betway.
"We heard Tim Paine tell Ravichandran Ashwin that he 'can't wait to get you to the Gabba' – well they've been whacked at the Gabba, so where are they going to go now?
"I believe that Cricket Australia will soon be looking for a new captain – Paine has never, ever been up to it."
Paine averaged a more than useful 40.80 with the bat during the series against India, but his three dropped catches on the final day in Sydney, along with a missed stumping in Brisbane, means his keeping is being questioned for the first time.
Pietersen said Paine was only ever a stopgap solution following the ill-fated South African tour in 2018.
"He got chucked into that position when Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft got caught up in the sandpaper controversy, but from my perspective, having played against him and watched him, he's not an Australia captain," he said.
"He's just not a good enough player, apart from anything else.
"I would never have made him captain in the first place, and he's probably never going to lead them into another Test match."
Pietersen, who didn't name a replacement for Paine, is at odds with former Australian skipper Ian Chappell, who told Wide World of Sports that Paine is currently the only realistic option to lead the team.
A host of former England players have lined up to stick the boot into Australia following India's series win.
With the Ashes just 10 months away, former captain Michael Vaughan noted the Australian batting "has a soft centre," the fast bowlers "lacked penetration," and Nathan Lyon "had no impact at all."
Pietersen argued that India's victory, in the face of huge adversity, was one of the greatest wins of all time.
"I wrote last week that the only way to shut Australia up was to beat them. That India had to concentrate on their game, remain united and use all of the off-field shenanigans as inspiration," he said.
"They've done that brilliantly. To come from behind and win this series when everything was against them is a phenomenal performance, it really is.
"Full credit to Ravi Shastri and Ajinkya Rahane. They've really come to the party and put on a show that will be remembered for a very long time."
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