‘Wouldn’t have allowed Rishabh Pant to become captain’: Former India selector Madan Lal – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Rishabh Pant’s first stint as Team India captain was sort of a mixed bag. He was appointed captain of the side just a day before the India-South Africa T20I series after KL Rahul was ruled out with an injury. There were quite a few apprehensions, as well as expectations, since Pant has been captaining Delhi Capitals for the last couple of seasons. India lost the first two T20 matches, but regrouped to make an emphatic comeback and win the next two games.

Despite the series finishing 2-2, with the fifth T20I being washed out, there were concerns over some of Pant’s decisions. His form with the bat was also a cause of concern. There are few people who still believe that Pant can be a leader in the future. However, former BCCI selector and India coach Madan Lal does not endorse this view. He believes that Pant needs more time to mature as a batter, after which he can be given an opportunity to lead.

“I would have stopped him from becoming captain. Wouldn’t have allowed it. Because such a player needs to be given this responsibility later. Becoming an India captain is a big deal. He is a youngster. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The longer he plays, he will gain more maturity,” Lal said on Sports Tak.

Lal went on to compare Pant with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s captaincy. He said that Pant needed to show maturity as a batter before he can be considered for captaincy.

“Over the next two years, if he can take his game to the next level, then he can be a good captain, can deal with things maturely. This is a player of a different nature. MS Dhoni was a quiet and cool captain, which suited him as captain. Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter. I’m not saying Pant shouldn’t be swinging his bat but if he can play with a little more maturity, it would be great,” Lal went on to add.

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