Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said Rishabh Pant could be the ideal candidate to lead India in Test cricket after Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as captain. Kohli surprised the cricketer fraternity with an unexpected decision to step down as captain of the senior national team in Tests on January 15.
Speaking to India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Sunil Gavaskar said that he has been impressed by the way 24-year-old Rishabh Pant can handle the responsibility of being Test captain, with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi as India captain. Highlight success. Very young and went on to achieve incredible success.
Virat Kohli took to social media on Saturday… To announce his decision to step down from Test captaincy. This came a day after India lost the 3-match Test series to South Africa in South Africa. Kohli ended his 8-year stint as Test captain, during which he emerged as India’s most successful captain in the game’s tallest fort.
Rohit Sharma was recently appointed as the vice-captain of India’s Test team, but he was not a part of the recently concluded 3-match series in South Africa. Rohit took over after Ajinkya Rahane was sacked from the role due to a fall in form.
Read also: India’s most successful Test captain, Kohli resigns: 40 wins, 68 matches
In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul was Kohli’s deputy in South Africa and the Karnataka batsman also captained India in the second Test in Johannesburg when Kohli missed due to a back spasm.
Pant has never led a senior national team but Gavaskar believes he is an automatic choice in all three formats and the selectors will look for someone of his caliber to lead the Test side.
“As far as the selection committee is concerned, it is a matter of considerable debate as to who should take Indian cricket forward. First of all, it should be someone who is an automatic pick in all formats of the game. Once that happens. Once it happens, it will be very easy,” Gavaskar said.
“If you ask me, I’m still staying, I would look at Rishabh Pant as the next captain of India.
“For just one reason, like Rohit Sharma was given the captaincy of Mumbai Indians when Ricky Ponting stepped down, watch his batting change after that. Suddenly the responsibility of being the captain made him make those beautiful cameos of 30, 40 and more. Changed the 50s to the hundreds, 150s and 200s.
“I think the sense of responsibility given to Rishabh Pant will help him score many more runs of the wonderful century he scored at Newlands,” he added.
Why Rishabh Pant?
Gavaskar explained why youngsters like Pant can handle the burden of captaincy in Test cricket.
“Yes, I am saying so. Tiger Pataudi was the captain in adverse conditions at the age of 21 when Nari Contractor was injured. Look what he did after that. He captained like a duck to water. I think we did What have you seen with Rishabh Pant. As captain of Delhi Capitals in IPL, I believe he has the potential to take Indian cricket forward and make it a very exciting team to watch.”
Virat Kohli took over as India’s Test captain from MS Dhoni during a Test series in 2014-15 after retiring from the longest format of the game. Kohli helped India achieve the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings and reach the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship in 2021.
Under Kohli’s leadership, India never lost a Test series at home and won their first Test series in Australia.
However, for the last two years, Kohli’s form has been under question. The India captain, who played a brilliant innings of 79 runs in the Cape Town Test, has not scored an international century since November 2019.