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Cricket Players'Possible candidate for next captain. Can emerge as a big player': Former selector Karim on 'special' India youngster
Moving forward, the musical chairs around India leadership can lead to a new face springing up for the captain's hat.
One wouldn't have imagined Indian cricket having seven captains in as many months but injuries and workload management have made it possible. The unexpectedness of the post-coronavirus era adds further fuel to the fire. Seasoned opener Shikhar Dhawan will captain India in three One-day internationals in West Indies later this month. He is all set to become the eighth captain in the past 10 months, joining the panel comprising KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Jasprit Bumrah. Also Read | 'Virat is fighting his own battle': Former selector has his say on whether Kohli makes it to India XI for T20 World Cup
Moving forward, the musical chairs around leadership can also lead to a new face springing up for the captain's hat. Bumrah has been tipped as future India captain but Pant has also raised his hand, having led the national side in the recent Twenty20 series against South Africa.
Former India player Saba Karim has backed the left-handed dasher for the role, saying he will develop into a big name in the future. But the former Indian selector said every player should focus on his performance instead of thinking about the captain's armband.
"Pant is a special player and has match-winning abilities. I believe that he can emerge as a big player for India in all three formats. Looking at his performances in the overseas, yes we can say that he is a possible candidate for the next captain. But I think every player should focus on giving match-winning performances and not on getting the captain's hat," Karim told Jagran TV.
Pant, who doesn't shy away from taking risks, perished for nought when he chipped Brydon Carse to mid-on in the second ODI against England. He had hit a counter-attacking century in the Edgbaston Test, dishing out his no-holds-barred batting approach. But the 24-year-old has scored 26, 1 and 0 in the three limited-overs games in England so far.
The dasher has been under the radar for rash shot selection and careless approach but many including former England captain Michael Vaughan believes he should be his usual aggressive self. Vaughan said Pant's job would be to cause 'chaos' and play with ample freedom.
"I would say to Rishabh Pant, don’t be ultra-aggressive. He has got his license to be aggressive in white-ball cricket, but in red-ball cricket, it just looks like a careless approach,” Vaughan had told Cricbuzz.
“And in white ball cricket, it looks like he is almost overthinking it. He is that one player in that space who can win India a game in a space of 15 overs of batting. He is such a good player, you just want him to have that freedom. Not to be worried about the shots that he is playing even he is getting out. His job according to me in this Indian team is to go for course chaos."
