3 young Indian players who have the potential to captain the team in the future
From Kapil Dev to Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni, India has had a history of producing world-class captains. After Dhoni stepped down, Virat Kohli has taken up the job quite efficiently with back-to-back series wins, and would be the first choice captain even for the ICC World Cup to be held in 2023.
In August, Kohli became the most successful Test captain in the history of Indian cricket during the tour of the West Indies. And at 31, he is still in his prime.
But captaincy is not an easy job. Not only does he have to prove his batting abilities every time he steps on the pitch, but he also has the added responsibility of being the ship anchor. Even the legend Sachin Tendulkar, despite proving his excellent batting caliber, had to step down from the captaincy after showing ineffective leadership skills.
Kohli is in no danger of falling prey to such a situation any time soon. But even if he doesn't, age will catch up to him eventually, and India will have to look to someone else to fill his shoes.
On that note, here is a look at three young and upcoming players who have the potential to captain India in the future.
#3 Rishabh Pant
Age: 22
Rishabh Pant was named in India's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The vice-captain of the team during the tournament, Pant hit an 18-ball fifty, the fastest at this level. The same year, Delhi Daredevils picked him up for INR 1.9 crore, and the rest is history.
Pant has proven to be the best batsman for the Capitals consistently for more than four years now. Leading from the front, he is as aggressive as Kohli and Virender Sehwag, and seems to be tailor-made for the national side.
Arguably the best batsman of the 2018 edition of the IPL, Pant is considered by many to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. Fulfilling the need of the hour, Pant is a great hard-hitter who can take on any bowler and smash him out of the park.
A phenomenal wicketkeeper-batsman, Pant has already broken into the national side as a regular in T20s and ODIs, and is the undisputed heir to Dhoni's throne.