‘Didn’t come under very good circumstances’: Rishabh Pant on captaining India for the first time in his career

Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was in for a surprise on Wednesday (June 08) as he was named captain of the Indian cricket team just a day ahead of the start of the T20I series against South Africa at home. KL Rahul had been appointed as the captain of the side in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. However, Rahul was ruled out of the five-match series due to an injury on Wednesday paving way for Pant to be named captain.

Pant, who is part of the Indian team’s leadership group under captain Rohit, will now geat a chance to lead the team for the first tim in his career. Pant has never captained the Indian team but has been leading the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the past two seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has significant experience behind his back.

Reacting to his appointment as captain of the Indian team, Pant said it was a good feeling overall but he would have liked the announcement to have come under better circumstances. Rahul along with spinner Kuldeep Yadav have been ruled out of the series due to injuries which is a huge blow for the Indian team ahead of the T20I series against the Proteas.

“It is a very good feeling, did not come under very good circumstances but at the same time I am feeling happy. I would like to thank the BCCI for giving me this opportunity to lead the Indian side. I will try to make the most out of it. Thank you to all my well-wishers for supporting me in my journey through the thick and thin of my cricketing career. I will look to make it a base and keep improving and keep making my life better and better each and every day,” Pant said during a press conference ahead of the first ODI on Wednesday.

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With Rahul no more in the scheme of things, India have been left with fewer options on top of the order. While Shikhar Dhawan is not part of the squad, Rohit has been rested and Rahul is now ruled out leaving India with only two specialist openers in Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

Venkatesh Iyer didn’t have a great season with KKR in IPL 2022 as an opener and is unlikely to get a chance at the top against the Proteas. When asked about the change in the batting order in Rahul’s absence, Pant admitted India do not have many options at the top and it remains to be seen what combination will be the best for the hosts.

“I think there would not be much change in the batting order as KL would have opened. We do not have many openers, we will discuss about it after some time,” said Pant.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant to lead India in T20I series vs SA after KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav ruled out due to injury

The stand-in skipper also hinted at a change in India’s strategy and approach as far as T20 cricket is concerned. Pant said the hosts are looking to play a different brand of cricket with the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia not far away now.

“I think as a team we have thought about certain goals we want to achieve as a team. At the end, we have the World Cup at the back of our head and we are preparing for that. In the coming days, you will see there will be changes and how we play cricket I guess,” Pant added.