Irfan Pathan believes that identifying capable leaders to succeed Rohit Sharma should be a priority for Team India in 2024. After leading India to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Rohit Sharma is presently at the helm in the ongoing two-match Test series against South Africa.
It remains uncertain whether the experienced opener will persist as the captain for the Men in Blue in white-ball cricket, including the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year.
During a Star Sports interview, Pathan expressed the view that a key focus for India in 2024 should be identifying potential leaders after Rohit. He went on to elaborate:
“There are chances of a lot of changes in 2024. So if we prepare two or three leaders, we won’t have too many problems.”
”The focus should also be on which leaders you will prepare. The Indian team performed amazingly well for five years under Virat Kohli’s leadership in Test cricket.”
Ex- India all rounder added:
“They reached the No. 1 ranking. His fitness was fantastic. He performed well in every match and extracted performance from the team in every match.”
”Rohit Sharma also got the team to perform amazingly well. We saw it in the World Cup and he won the Asia Cup but who after Rohit Sharma.”
Pathan emphasized that the Indian management should discover leaders capable of playing cricket consistently year-round. He further stressed the significance of prioritizing fitness, a quality expected from young players.
“You felt Mohammed Shami’s absence” – Irfan Pathan suggests that India should build a strong and effective fast-bowling unit
Irfan Pathan suggests that India should focus on grooming backup options for fast bowlers, providing reasoning for this approach.
“I personally feel the Indian team needs to prepare a good fast-bowling unit in 2024. We saw what happened in South Africa.”
”We didn’t have very good fully ready backups for fast bowlers. It’s not that they don’t have quality but they weren’t ready, so you felt Mohammed Shami’s absence.”
The former cricketer turned commentator emphasized that the Indian team would face significant challenges if Jasprit Bumrah is sidelined due to injury. He stated:
“It means, God forbid, if something happens to Jasprit Bumrah, we have seen him getting injured earlier because of his action, we will look left and right and we won’t get quality bowlers like that.”
Pathan suggested that a pool of seven to eight fast bowlers should be groomed, whether through talent scouting or a strong emphasis on the Ranji Trophy.
While recognizing the Indian Premier League’s role in talent identification and the efforts of BCCI and NCA behind the scenes, he emphasized that preparing a contingent of seamers should be the top priority.
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