"Rishabh Pant building up as a potential captain for India" - Pragyan Ojha
Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant's performance in the ongoing edition of the IPL has convinced Pragyan Ojha that the wicket-keeper-batsman could be a potential candidate to lead Team India in the future.
Pragyan Ojha, a member of the IPL governing council, said that Rishabh Pant has shown great maturity as the leader of the Capitals. Thus far, the team has won four out of the six games they have played and are firmly in contention to qualify for the play-offs.
The veteran spinner played for India in the early 2010s bagging 113 Test wickets, along with 89 wickets in the IPL. He opined that Rishabh Pant has the aura and charm necessary to be a captain. Ojha believes the 23-year-old can excel as a leader.
“The way he has led his team. Somehow I get a feeling that in the years to come, if Rishabh Pant bats the way he has been batting and shows this maturity, he can be the captain."
"He is showing that. When you talk about a player, the aura around him shows it. It makes me feel that this is the guy who can be the captain of the Indian team,” Pragyan Ojha said.
“Rishabh Pant has the same aura that was created about Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni”
Though Pant still has a long road ahead, Pragyan Ojha is confident that the wicket-keeper-batsman has the tools in him to lead the national team one day.
He said, “That’s what I feel after reading about him, after talking to people about him. This is the same aura that was created about Sourav Ganguly, created about MS Dhoni. So that is how it is. I feel he can. It’s still far away."
Pragyan Ojha also suggested that Team India’s think tank should try to groom him as a leader and feels that Rishabh Pant will improve as a cricketer under the guidance of head coach Ravi Shastri.
“But right now, the way he is developing himself as a player and as a leader, that is something that the think tank should have a close look at. Under Ravi (Shastri) bhai, I think he will develop,” he added.
The Delhi Capitals lost a humdinger of a contest last night against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rishabh Pant's side came agonizingly close but eventually lost the match by 1 run.
DC will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in their next encounter on 29 April. Read the full IPL schedule 2021 here.