Former India chief selector MSK Prasad has championed the name of Virat Kohli to become India’s Test captain again.
MSK Prasad, who was the chairman of the selection committee when Virat Kohli took the Indian Test team to the top of the world, including a maiden Test series win in Australia, has asserted that Kohli should be given back the captaincy as India need to look beyond Rohit Sharma. He added that it’s already a bit of puzzling that Ajinkya Rahane has been given back the vice-captaincy position after he returned to the side after a year of absence.
Following India’s loss in the WTC Final 2023, the selection committee has retained Rohit Sharma as the Test skipper and named Rahane as Rohit’s deputy for the upcoming Test series in West Indies. Rohit is already 36 years of age and Rahane is 35, and Kohli is also 35, so instead of looking for a younger player to groom as the next captain, the selectors named Rahane as the vice-captain. Given Rohit’s injury issues, fans are left wondering whether Rohit can last another two-year WTC cycle.
Why not Virat Kohli to captain India again?
In a recent interview with KhelNow, former chief selector MSK Prasad was about the next possible option for the Test captaincy post. He responded by picking Virat Kohli as a good option.
“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,” MSK Prasad said.
Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill future captaincy options: MSK Prasad
One future prospect for leading Team India is Rishabh Pant. Before his car accident in December, Pant had been part of the leadership. He led India in T20Is, and was also the vice-captain to Jasprit Bumrah in the Edgbaston Test last year.
However, now with Rishabh Pant out injured for a while – it will take him a long time to return to Test cricket – that alternative is pushed back by at least a year.
“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.
23-year-old Shubman Gill could be also a potential future India captaincy candidate. However, MSK Prasad feels that the selectors are waiting for Gill to cement his place in the Test side first.
“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,” Prasad added.
