Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer, has introduced a fresh name to the discussion of potential future captains for the Indian cricket team. While Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have often been considered front-runners for the role after Rohit Sharma, Gavaskar has highlighted the capabilities of Ishan Kishan, suggesting that he could emerge as a future leader. Gavaskar also emphasized the growth of Axar Patel and named him as another strong contender for captaincy.
According to Sunil Gavaskar, two promising candidates for future captaincy roles are Shubman Gill and Axar Patel. Gavaskar highlighted Gill’s talent and potential to take on leadership responsibilities. He also praised Axar Patel’s rapid growth, stating that he consistently improves with each match. Gavaskar suggested appointing Axar Patel as the vice-captain would enhance his leadership development. In Gavaskar’s opinion, these two players are the most suitable options to replace Rohit Sharma as captain.
“One is Shubman Gill, and the other is Axar Patel [as future captains] because Axar comes in leaps and bounds; he gets better every match. Giving him the responsibility as vice-captain will make them think. So, these are the two candidates,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
In an unexpected move, Gavaskar brought up the name of Ishan Kishan as a potential future captain. However, he noted that Kishan would need to solidify his position in the Indian team before being considered for leadership responsibilities. Gavaskar acknowledged Kishan’s talent and suggested that if he establishes himself as a regular team member, he could become a strong contender for captaincy in the future.
“If there are others, somebody like Ishan Kishan, once he cements his place in the team. He can come into the reckoning as well,” he stated.
Gavaskar expressed his opinion that while Ajinkya Rahane’s appointment as vice-captain of the Indian Test team is reasonable, it missed an opportunity to groom a young player for future leadership. He believed that designating a young player as the vice-captain would have conveyed a clear message about their potential to lead the team in the future, encouraging them to develop their leadership skills early.
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“There is nothing wrong in having him [Ajinkya Rahane] as the vice-captain, but a missed opportunity to groom a young player. At least tell a young player we are looking at you as a future captain. So, he starts to think as a future leader,” Gavaskar added.
