Following Virat Kohli's decision to step down as captain, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that youthful wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant could be the ideal choice to lead India in Test cricket.
Kohli announced his decision to step down as captain on Saturday, a day after India lost the Test series to South Africa.
As talk grows about who might be the next skipper, Gavaskar said, "In terms of the selection committee, there will be a lot of discussion about who should lead Indian cricket ahead. If you ask me, and I'm still here, I'd pick Rishabh Pant to be India's next captain."
"Look at the difference in his batting when Rohit Sharma was awarded the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians when Ricky Ponting stepped down for one reason only. Suddenly, the pressures of captaincy forced him to convert those lovely cameos from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s into hundreds, 150s, and 200s. I believe Rishabh Pant's feeling of responsibility will help him in scoring many more of the fantastic hundred he scored at Newlands "' I told India Today,' he said.
Gavaskar goes on to explain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who gained power after taking up the captaincy at a young age.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. When Nari was injured, Tiger Pataudi was captain at the age of 21 under difficult circumstances. After that, have a look at what he did. Like a duck to water, he jumped right into captaincy. I believe that, based on his performance as captain of the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, Rishabh Pant has the ability to lead Indian cricket ahead and make it a really entertaining team to watch "he stated
Rohit Sharma was named vice-captain of India's Test team lately, however, he did not play in the three-match series against South Africa that ended yesterday. After Ajinkya Rahane was charged from the position due to a drop in form, Rohit took over.