Why not give Virat Kohli test captaincy again, asks former selector MSK Prasad | EXCLUSIVE

Former India selector MSK Prasad opened up on the captaincy conundrum of Indian Cricket Team.

Amidst the ongoing debate regarding the future captaincy of the Indian cricket team in red ball cricket, it is noteworthy that Hardik Pandya has been appointed as the captain for the upcoming T20 series against West Indies, while also assuming the role of vice-captain in the ODIs. During an exclusive chat with Kartik Mehindru for Khel Now, former selector MSK Prasad was questioned about the possibility of Hardik Pandya becoming the white ball captain in the future and whether Rohit Sharma would retain the captaincy for the red ball format throughout the upcoming two-year World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Prasad responded with uncertainty, expressing, "I don't know if I can answer this question. I don't know the mindset of the selectors. Usually the mindset of the selectors should be now with the WTC cycle it should be a clear cycle, that's how the mindset should be".

When further asked about the possibility of a young player succeeding Rohit Sharma as captain, Prasad said, "Why not Virat Kohli? When Ajinkya Rahane can come back and become the vice-captain, then why not Virat Kohli? I don’t know what the mindset of Virat is on captaincy. In case selectors are thinking beyond Rohit, I don’t know whether they are thinking but if they are thinking beyond Rohit, then I think Virat can also be an option”.

Rishabh Pant's Prospects as a Future Captain

During the conversation, MSK Prasad was questioned about the potential of Rishabh Pant becoming a future captain. Prasad explained that during his time as a selector, Pant was at the early stages of his career, making it premature to draw any conclusions. He emphasized the significance of waiting for Pant to recover from injury before passing any judgments. Prasad also highlighted Pant's remarkable accomplishments, including being the sole Indian wicket-keeper batsman to score centuries in Australia, South Africa, and England. However, he reiterated the importance of allowing Pant to make a successful comeback before engaging in further discussions about his future prospects.

“During our times he just coming up. Let him come back. See what Rishabh Pant has done no other wicketkeeper batsman in the history of Indian Cricket has done. Because no wicket keeper has got runs and centuries in Australia South Africa and England in the Indian Cricket history. Let him come back, let him start getting back on the field. We can’t keep assuming from the selection point of view that this is possible, that is possible, we cannot be a layman prospect”. MSK Prasad said.

Shubman Gill: A Rising Star in Future Captaincy Contention

Expanding on the discussion, Prasad raised Shubman Gill as a potential candidate for captaincy, considering his ability to perform well across all three formats. He questioned why Gill should not be considered if Virat Kohli is not being looked at for the captaincy role. Prasad suggested that the selectors might be waiting for Gill to accumulate more runs and gain further experience before seriously considering him for the captaincy position. He emphasized the need to groom Gill for future leadership roles, acknowledging that burdening him with captaincy responsibilities at this stage could potentially affect his current form. By allowing Gill to flourish in his current role, the selectors can better prepare him for potential captaincy responsibilities in the future.

“See someone like Shubman Gill, now he is there he is the guy who looks the player for all 3 formats. I still think Virat can definitely be an option. If they are not looking at Virat then Why not Shubman Gill. I have a feeling that selectors are still waiting for a few more runs, few more months of cricket for Shubman Gill. See someone like Shubman Gill who started doing extremely well and suddenly you impose captaincy on him it might get affected. That’s the reason why there are considering to give some more time, by the time they will be grooming Shubman Gill”.The former selector said.