Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt is making headlines these days for regularly opining on cricket through his Youtube channel. In one such video on Wednesday, Butt named wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant as the future captain of Team India when quizzed about the same by a fan.
Expounding his answer, the southpaw stated that since Pant was handed over the captaincy for Delhi Capitals (DC) after the previous skipper Shreyas Iyer suffered an injury, the youngster might be the right choice to lead Team India in future.
“I am not aware of his domestic cricket (records) in-depth but from what I have seen in the IPL, if they handed Rishabh Pant the captaincy (of Delhi Capitals), then the cricket board (BCCI) may have some plans for the future. Even though Kohli is still young as he is not going anywhere for the next 8-9 years,” Butt enunciated.
The Lahore-born also mentioned middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane as a good captain since the latter led India to their famous victory over Australia during the Border Gavaskar trophy in 2021.
“Recently, they (India) won the Test series in Australia in which Ajinkya Rahane was handling the captaincy. He also did a very nice job in Australia. Tactically, he was spot on and his decision-making was clear,” Butt expressed.
When asked about Indian veteran opener Rohit Sharma, Butt remarked that Rohit could also replace Kohli as he is tactically and strategically sound.
“Along with him (Pant), Rohit Sharma is an outstanding captain. I really like him as a captain. Strategically and tactically, he’s a very good captain,” Butt stated.
Concluding the interview, the 36-year-old asserted that the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) would not be mulling over captaincy issues now as they already have three to four options.
“In the long run, let’s see who turns up and what kind of a scenario is created. For now, it is not a matter of discussion for Indian cricket. They have 3-4 people anyway,” added Butt.
Meanwhile, Team India is quarantining in Mumbai post which they would leave for England to play the World Test Championship (WTC) final versus New Zealand followed by a five-match red-ball series against the hosts.
