Rishabh Pant is an Indian cricketer who has been discussed the most in the last one month. Earlier, it was about his performance as a captain in IPL 2022, where he failed to take Delhi Capitals to the playoffs for the second time in a row. He was supported by his DC coach Ricky Ponting at that time. Some of the decisions taken by him were dismissed by DC fans on the internet. However, despite such uproar, Pant feels that he has got the backing of his franchise and will continue to lead the franchise in the next edition. Then the light came on Pant again when he was announced as the captain of the Indian cricket team, which was to face the South African team in full force on home soil. Pant lost the first 2 games as captain but won the next two matches, while the final T20 ended with no result due to rain. All this while his form has been poor with the bat. However, this time also Rahul Dravid has supported him and said that he is an integral part of the team.
But with former Indian cricketer Madan Lal joining the chorus, the call for him not to be the captain of the Indian cricket team is growing out. Talking to Aaj Tak, Lal said that had he been a selector, he would have prevented him from becoming the captain. He said that Pant needs maturity before being given the big responsibility of captaining India.
“I would stop him from becoming the captain. Don’t allow it. Because such a player should be given this responsibility later. To be the captain of India is a big deal. He is a young player. He is not going anywhere anytime soon. Yes. The longer he plays, the more maturity he will attain.”
“In the next two years, if he can take his game to the next level, he can be a good captain, tackle things maturely. It is a different nature of the player. MS Dhoni is a calm and composed player. There was a calm captain, which suited him as a captain. Virat Kohli is a brilliant batsman. I am not saying that Pant should not swing his bat, but if he can play with a little more maturity, then it is. Would be great,” said Lal.
Pant will next be seen in the fifth and final Test against England which starts on July 1 at Edgbaston. He is also expected to play in the ODI and T20 leg on the England tour. Dinesh Karthik’s performance has put pressure on Pant to perform with the bat, who is finding it difficult to score runs in international cricket.