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Aakash Chopra, the renowned cricket commentator and analyst, has identified two potential successors to Rohit Sharma as the Test captain of the Indian cricket team.
Rohit Sharma’s leadership dilemma: The age factor
With Rohit, who is 37-year-old currently, leading the 16-member squad in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, speculation arises about his continuity, especially considering the possibility of his absence in the next World Test Championship cycle starting due to age factors.
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Aakash Chopra’s picks for succession
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra has highlighted the youthful vigor and leadership qualities of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. He envisioned them as strong contenders to fill the significant void Rohit’s potential departure could create. While emphasizing the long-term perspective, the Agra-born cricketer further refrained from making definitive predictions but acknowledges Gill and Pant as players with the potential to take on the captaincy role when the time comes.
“I am talking about extremely long-term, it could be Shubman Gill. I am not talking about now, I am talking about the distant future. It could be Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant as a Test cricketer is 24-carat gold,” Chopra said.
“So he could also be the one. He is a game changer. So I will look towards one of these two once Rohit says he is done with Test cricket and that you can appoint someone else as the skipper,” the 46-year-ol concluded.
Gill will be captaining the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) edition, showcasing his leadership abilities. On the other hand, Pant, although having led India in T20Is, is yet to captain the team in the Test format.
