Former England captain Michael Vaughan has selected a young cricketer as his choice for the future captaincy of the Indian national cricket team. Michael Vaughan overlooked the likes of Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson in favor of this emerging talent.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 marks a significant transition as neither Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli nor MS Dhoni are leading teams for the first time in the league’s history. This change has allowed young stars to step up and take on leadership roles within IPL teams.
The IPL now serves as a platform for young cricketers to showcase their leadership potential. Hardik Pandya, currently vice-captain of the Indian white-ball cricket team, has taken over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians, replacing Rohit Sharma, who led the team to five titles.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made his debut as IPL captain during the first match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), replacing the legendary MS Dhoni. Shubman Gill was also named captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT), marking his first season as captain in the cash-rich league.
Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill emerge as possible contenders for the Indian captaincy in the future as Rohit Sharma decides to pass the baton.
Shubman Gill will captain India one day – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan praised Shubman Gill’s leadership despite Gujarat Titans’ poor start to the season. Vaughan predicted that the 24-year-old batsman would soon lead the Indian team.
“I have to say Shubman Gill is going to be a very, very good captain… There is no doubt that he will be India’s captain one day,” Vaughan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following the trade of Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians, Shubman Gill was named captain of the Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2024 season. The GT opening batsman became the third-youngest permanent captain of an IPL franchise, after Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.
Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, the Titans have experienced a mixed performance, winning two of five games. The team led by Shubman Gill is currently in seventh place in the standings. They have four points and a net run rate (NRR) of -0.797.
Rishabh Pant not the future captain of India – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan has rejected Rishabh Pant’s chances of becoming the future captain of the Indian cricket team. Vaughan recognized Pant’s batting prowess and his ability to influence matches, but believed that he lacked the necessary leadership qualities.
“I admire Rishabh Pant a lot. He is one of the best batsmen and can dominate cricket for a long time. Pant has gone into it to win matches for the Indian team. However, he is not captaincy material. I don’t see him leading India in the future. He is coming back from a serious injury and is trying to adapt to the system,” said Michael Vaughan on Cricbuzz.
“He has a lot of work to do as a batsman and then asking him to captain is too much for him. Pant is not the future captain of India. I feel Shubman Gill will lead India. He can be a good captain. I hope Pant proves me wrong, but I don’t see him getting the captain’s armband,” he added.
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