With Rahul Dravid taking over the reins from Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli too will be seen quitting the captaincy of the shortest format. While the obvious choice becomes Rohit Sharma, the current vice-captain of the team, veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes he can lead for the next couple of years. And players like Pant and Rahul could be groomed under him as well.
“It will be only fair to give Rohit Sharma the opportunity to lead India for a year or two in white-ball formats. Allow him to be the captain for a couple of World Cups. You have got to give him that credit and that chance to go ahead and represent the country as captain and allow him to showcase his skills as a captain as well,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“He has been really good in the limited time he has captained India in ODIs and T20Is. He has brought in a considerable amount of success which tells me he knows his traits; he knows his skills. You’ve got to give him an opportunity before you bring a young boy like Rishabh Pant, or KL Rahul for that matter and make them captain,” he added.
“In terms of high-pressure games, KL has the upper hand” – Dinesh Karthik
However, Dinesh Karthik has also shared the importance of the BCCI and Rohit Sharma working closely to groom the next captain of the Indian cricket team.
While KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant can be the two likely contenders, Karthik feels that other youngsters could be in the race as well if the BCCI feels they are capable enough to lead the team.
“It is important to have that candid conversation with Rohit and figure out who he would like as his lieutenant so that when he is not around – it is humanly impossible for Rohit to play all matches in all formats. They should have that chat with Rohit once they decide that he is the captain. The message should be ‘we are looking around KL and Pant. Is there a direction that you would want anybody among the 2 to be your deputy?’ One of the qualities of a great leader is that when you leave your throne, you find your successor and groom him through the time you are a leader,” Karthik again shared.
“KL in many ways hasn’t captained Karnataka for too long, whereas Pant has captained Delhi and won the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali, so that gives him the weightage. On the other hand, KL has led in some 28 games in the IPL and done phenomenally well as a batsman during that time, whereas Pant has led only 14-15 games this season. In terms of high-pressure games, KL has the upper hand. So, if you weigh the pros and cons, it is hard for us to pinpoint names. Both of them are great players, both play almost all formats,” Dinesh Karthik concluded.
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