Another Feather on Rishabh Pant's Cap - Named Delhi Capitals Captain

Delhi Capitals named Rishabh Pant as their captain for the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Tuesday. With regular captain Shreyas Iyer injured, Vice Captain Pant will take over the franchise that finished runner-up last season.

The lift comes after four memorable months for the wicketkeeper-batsman as he became a match winner for the test team and made an enthusiastic return to the Indian fold of limited overs. “This is a great opportunity for young Rishabh, who is coming off successful seasons against Australia and England, which will undoubtedly give him the confidence to take on a new role,” Capitals head coach Ricky Pointing said. a press release.

Despite having proven captains Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith in their ranks, and a senior professional like Ravichandran Ashwin, who led Kings XI Punjab two years ago, Capitals maintained their youth policy. The franchise opted for a young captain at Iyer in 2018 and allowed him to grow on the job. They have taken a similar approach with Pant.

“I see this season as a learning period for Rishabh. Apart from Ajinkya, Smith and Ashwin, they (Capitals) also have Shikhar (Dhawan). If everyone helps him, I don’t see why the Delhi Capitals can’t get it right, ”Delhi Ranji team coach KP Bhaskar, who was instrumental in naming Pant as Ranji captain in 2017, told The Indian Express. 18.

“You shouldn’t get bogged down and go into a shell with all these big stars around you. This is where your leadership quality will manifest itself. Now that he’s done so well for India, the confidence boost he has now will have things under control, ”Bhaskar said.

Past experience

In 2017-18, when Pant was just 20 years old, he led Delhi to the final of the Ranji Trophy. Bhaskar remembered the decision to hand over the captaincy to the young man. “Probably when he took over Delhi, he was raw. But it has matured over the years. He was appointed captain with a long-term vision ”.

What are the boxes that Pant marks as captain? “Being a goalkeeper, he has a close watch on what is happening all over the field. He has this aggressive nature in hitting, but deep down he’s a cool guy. That helps, ”observed Bhaskar.

The 23-year-old went to Australia last November as the guardian of the backup test and not as part of India’s limited set of overs. “After the IPL (last year) he came with a lot of luggage. He worked his ass to lose it. He has trained harder than anyone in the last two months. And the results are not just for him to see, they are for the world to see. You have a naturally brilliant match winner with his ability playing to his potential, there is no better view in cricket, ”India’s head coach Ravi Shastri said after the test series against England.

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