Ravi Shastri feels Pant should be kept in mind for leadership, goes ahead with senior pro as next Test captain
Shastri feels Pant should be groomed, names senior pro as next Test captain
On January 15, Virat Kohli stepped down as the Indian Test captain. This came as a shocker for the whole cricketing fraternity, given the 33-year-old led India with great success in the red-ball format. Kohli's decision came on the following day after India had lost the three-match Test series versus South Africa, in the African nation.
With him stepping down as the Test captain, Kohli's overall captaincy tenure for Team India also came to an end. Talking about Kohli's credentials as a captain in the purest format, he led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia, ensured an unassailable 2-1 lead over England in the incomplete five Tests in the United Kingdom in mid-2021 and to the inaugural WTC final. In addition, India were dominant at home under his leadership skills.
Kohli's successor, thus, has huge shoes to fill in. Ex-head coach Ravi Shastri feels Rohit Sharma, who is already the limited-overs captain, should take over as the Test captain as well, with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant being groomed under him.
Former Indian coach Shastri has suggested Rohit's name as the successor and called him the natural choice, with him already being the vice-captain in whites.
"If Rohit is fit, why can't he be the captain in Tests too. He was appointed vice-captain for the South Africa series but he couldn't go there because of injuries. So why not, if he was made the vice-captain, why can't he be promoted to captaincy,"Shastri said toIndia Today.
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"Rohit's vice-captain has to be seen. Rahul Dravid has to see who that person could be because that player has to be a certainty in the playing XI. I think, why name the vice-captain at all? Decide on the tour who is the most experienced player, who is playing well. You announce your vice-captain in advance, and later you realise that your vice-captain doesn't fit in your XI," stated the ex-Indian head coach and all-rounder.
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Shastri opined on Pant and claimed he can be looked upon as a future captain. "Rishabh is a tremendous young player. As a coach, I was very fond of him, his attitude and the good thing about him was that he would always listen to you. A lot of people say, he always does what he wants but that's not true. He reads the game well and would always put my team effort first than self. So he should always be kept in mind for leadership," said Shastri.
India's next assignment in the red-ball format is versus Sri Lanka at home, in February-March. Before that, the national selectors will have to take a call and name the next Test captain. Some other contenders are Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul or R Ashwin.