India and Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was named the captain of his franchise for the IPL 2021 season. Pant was handed over the captaincy after Shreyas Iyer injured himself during the recently concluded England series and was stated to be unavailable for the majority of the upcoming IPL season.
Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has now said that he won’t be surprised if the selectors will see him as the front-runner to lead the Indian team in near future.
“Rishabh Pant has had such fabulous few months, establishing himself in all formats. It won’t come as a surprise if the selectors see him as a front-runner fr Indian captaincy in near future. His attacking cricket will stand India in good stead in times to come,” Azharuddin tweeted.
Despite having experienced players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, R Ashwin and Steve Smith in the ranks, DC decided to hand over the captaincy duties to Pant.
Head coach Ricky Ponting had earlier said that the way the left-handed aggressive batsman has been playing in the past few months will give him the confidence to take up the new role.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for young Rishabh, who is coming off successful stints against Australia and England which will no doubt give him the confidence needed to take on a new role,” Capitals head coach Ricky Pointing said in a press release.
The Delhi-based franchise had the most successful last season under Iyer’s leadership after they made it to the final of the tournament but lost to Mumbai Indians in the title clash. They will now begin the campaign on April 10 against Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai.