WITH regular captain Virat Kohli deciding to quit the T20 captaincy post the ongoing World Cup in the UAE and Oman, speculation is rife over who would take over the reins from him. While ace opener Rohit Sharma’s name comes up as the obvious choice, he might not be a long-distance captain at 34. The focus would fall on someone who would lead India in the long run.
Former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener has thrown his weight behind wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. According to the former, Pant is still raw to take up the responsibility immediately and feels he should be nurtured till the right time comes. Till then, Sharma can be the captain.
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Lance Klusener (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
“I see a guy like Rishabh Pant becoming an Indian captain one day. He's still a bit young, possibly. We might see Rohit doing it for a while. I think just in terms of letting somebody else stand up and be a head and shoulders pick to succeed Virat might mean Rohit doing it for a little while. Rohit can do it while somebody grows or somebody comes through and becomes a clear candidate to do that job,” the 50-year-old Klusener told Indian daily Times of India.
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Pant, 24, recently led Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the UAE and his team finished third in the tournament. Another name which comes to mind is KL Rahul who also leads Punjab Kings in the IPL.
“Virat has been amazing. His passion is incredible. However, it’s his choice to move on and that creates a lovely opportunity for somebody else. I just see a younger captain that can be there for a while and have that continuity. So, I don’t think there’s anybody that's clearly standing up. So, we might just see Rohit doing it for a while until there's somebody that can nail down that captaincy spot,” Klusener, who has scored over 5,000 international runs and taken more than 270 wickets, said.
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