IND v SA 2022: 3 reasons why Rishabh Pant will excel as India captain
Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is set to become the country's second-youngest T20I skipper, following an untimely injury to incumbent captain KL Rahul. The home series against South Africa will be the 24-year-old's first assignment in charge of the national team, giving him a massive opportunity to display his leadership credentials.
Briefly out of the Indian side in all formats during India's tour of Australia in 2020/21, the swashbuckling batter made a strong comeback with his memorable Test match performances in that series. Within a short span of time, Pant's aggressive approach has become indispensable to the Indian Test team, while his improved wicket-keeping and six-hitting ability have made him India's top white-ball gloveman too.
Having led the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the past two seasons, Pant would be looking forward to carry his experience as a young skipper into the international arena. Here are three reasons why the southpaw will excel as India captain during this series.
#3 Bowling depth in India's squad for the series
Although Pant has made some questionable last-over decisions over time in the IPL - most notably, giving Tom Curran the all-important final over ahead of Kagiso Rabada in the IPL 2021 Qualifier 1 - the young skipper is known for rotating his bowling options well. DC sides over the past two seasons have mostly featured six or more bowling options which the 24-year-old has skilfully used to reduce the predictability surrounding his bowling plans.
While the lack of batting all-rounders was a massive impediment to India's T20 World Cup 2021 plans, the current squad has the likes of Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya who are quite likely to play within the top six and contribute with the ball. The presence of six or more bowlers will allow Pant to rotate and surprise the opposition with his usage of resources, leading to greater control over the middle overs.
#2 Pant has worked closely with key opposition members
DC reached their maiden IPL final in 2020 largely due to the stellar efforts of their bowling attack. While Kagiso Rabada had been a DC regular since IPL 2017, replacement pick Anrich Nortje was the surprise package of the season. The duo didn't have as profitable an outing in the following year, as DC crashed out in Qualifier 2, but Nortje's pace and accuracy ensured he was retained.
While DC let go of Rabada before IPL 2022, they did secure the services of another South African pacer in Lungi Ngidi. Pant has been part of the team since 2016, and has extensive knowledge on all three bowlers and the tricks up their sleeve. Negotiating the Protea pace attack will be among the biggest challenges that the Indian squad face, and Pant's awareness of the opposition will be key.
#1 Pant has a good record with young bowlers
The Indian squad for the series against South Africa includes some fresh faces, such as Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, as well as young Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan who have played just a handful of T20Is for India so far. Under Pant's leadership in IPL 2021, Avesh developed into a genuine wicket-taker across phases of the innings, and was able to carry those fundamentals successfully into IPL 2022 and his India debut earlier in 2022.
After his superb IPL 2021, where he scalped 24 wickets to end up second on the wicket-taking charts, Avesh effused praise on his young DC skipper for his guidance and support during key phases. Given the makeup of the squad, there is a great opportunity for Pant to guide India's young bowlers into future match-winners during their series against South Africa.