Rajput reckoned that his first-choice pick will be KL Rahul.
After the most successful captain of the Indian team, MS Dhoni passed the baton to Virat Kohli, there were doubts about the latter’s abilities, but he returned quite successful across all the three formats. Not too long ago, opener Rohit Sharma was chosen as the leader in the white-ball and red-ball cricket, due to his impressive leadership qualities witnessed for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL.
Now, the speculations are taking place about his deputy in the team, and the probable players who can be appointed as the captain in the future. In the latest interaction, the former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput chose the contenders for the captaincy of the Indian team.
KL Rahul got good experience behind his back: Lalchand Rajput
Rajput reckoned that his first-choice pick will be KL Rahul, who led the Indian team in South Africa ODIs earlier this year, in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He added that Rahul has been leading the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise well, and has good experience in this role.
“One is obviously KL Rahul, who is leading his franchise very well. He has also captained the Indian team in the past when Virat and Rohit were injured. So I think he has got a good experience behind his back,” Rajput said on CricTracker’s ‘Not Just Cricket’ show presented by Sky247.net.
The former Indian cricketer further thinks if wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is given an opportunity, he can respond quite well. Rajput also reckons veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can be chosen as the leader of the Indian Test team for a short period of time, as he is intelligent and commands respect from the players of all age-groups.
“Another strong contender, I feel is Rishabh Pant. If you give him responsibility, he responds to it quite well. But over a short period of time, I will not be surprised if Ashwin has been given an opportunity to lead India in Test matches. He is a fantastic and intelligent guy, gets the team together, and commands respect among juniors as well as seniors. But looking ahead, definitely KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant,” he added.