Ashish Ranjan
The reappointment of Ajinkya Rahane as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies has aroused many eyebrows. A couple of former cricketers noted out that the team isn’t developing any future leaders, which could have an impact on the national team in the future. In the meantime, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar stated that Shubman Gill and Axar Patel have the potential to command the national team in the coming years.
Protably, Axar was recently designated vice-captain of the Delhi Capitals team in the IPL, whereas Gill lacks leadership experience. However, as the then-coach Rahul Dravid and Prithvi Shaw were in charge of decision-making, he performed a relatively minor role as vice-captain of the Indian U-19 team. Gavaskar added that wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan can also compete for the leadership position, though he must first solidify his position in the playing XI.
“One is Shubman Gill and the other is Axar Patel [as prospective captains] because Axar improves with every game by leaps and bounds. Giving him the role of vice-captain will cause them to reflect. In my opinion, these are the two candidates. If there are others, they would be similar to Ishan Kishan once he has solidified his position on the team. He can also be considered,” Gavaskar said in an interview with Sports Today.
There is nothing wrong with Rahane being the vice-captain, but a squandered opportunity to develop a young player: Gavaskar
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The former cricketer went on to say that passing the baton to Ajinkya Rahane in the longest format of the game is perfectly acceptable, but that a younger player could have been nurtured in the interim. He added that the team management should have a serious discussion with a few of the players and inform them that they have the potential to lead India in the future.
“There is nothing wrong with him (Ajinkya Rahane) being the vice-captain, but it was a wasted opportunity to develop a young player. At the very least, inform an inexperienced player that we see him as a future captain. Therefore, he begins to think like a future leader,” Gavaskar continued.
