Virat Kohli To Take Back Team India's Captaincy In Test? MSK Prasad Makes BIG Statement

Twitter Image

In the midst of the ongoing debate about the future captaincy of the Indian cricket team in red-ball cricket, recent developments have seen Hardik Pandya appointed as the captain for the upcoming T20 series against West Indies, while also assuming the role of vice-captain in the ODIs. Former selector MSK Prasad was questioned about the possibility of 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.

The only two guys part of the last test we played at Dominica in 2011. Never imagined the journey would bring us back here in different capacities. Highly grateful. _ pic.twitter.com/zz2HD8nkES

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 9, 2023

According to Khel Now, Prasad said, "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 probed about the possibility of a young player succeeding Rohit Sharma as captain, Prasad suggested Virat Kohli as an option, saying, "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."

The conversation also touched upon the potential of Rishabh Pant becoming a future captain. Prasad explained that during his time as a selector, Pant was in 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 praised Pant's remarkable achievements, highlighting that he is the only 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 was 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 wicketkeeper has scored runs and centuries in Australia, South Africa, and England in the history of Indian Cricket. 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," expressed MSK Prasad.

Prasad's remarks reflect the uncertainty surrounding the future captaincy of the Indian cricket team and emphasize the need to consider various factors, including the WTC cycle, individual players' mindsets, and their performance on the field before making any definitive decisions.