India’s star commentator, Aakash Chopra, has questioned BCCI’s move of not naming Rishabh Pant a captain in the Duleep Trophy 2024. BCCI named the squads for the first round of the domestic tournament on August 14.
It will also mark Pant’s return to red-ball cricket for the first time since 2022. While the Indian wicketkeeper has been named in ‘Team B’ of the tournament, it is interesting to note that he won’t be leading the side in the tournament.
The surprising decision from BCCI sparked a reaction from the commentator on his YouTube channel. He said, “Is Rishabh Pant not even a candidate for Test captaincy? I am a little surprised?"
Speaking further on his channel, Aakash Chopra revealed that 28-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead Team B in the Duleep Trophy 2024. “Rishabh Pant is not a captain. He has been selected for Abhimanyu Easwaran’s team. He is playing under Abhimanyu Easwaran’s captaincy, which is okay," Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra also talked about how the decision didn’t sit too well with him as Rishabh Pant has always performed his best in the Test format. “I am not aligned with this personally because the best avatar of Rishabh Pant you have seen is as a Test cricketer," he said.
Highlighting his achievements on foreign soil, the Indian commentator added, “He is the only wicketkeeper in the history of Indian cricket who has scored centuries in South Africa, England and Australia in Test matches. With his style and approach in Test cricket and the consistency, he was a captaincy candidate, in my opinion."
Speaking about the new era under Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra voiced his curiosity about the head coach’s opinion on Rishabh Pant as the team’s captain. “A new era has started. So I will be very curious to know what Gautam’s opinion is with regards to Rishabh Pant, the captain," the commentator concluded.
The upcoming domestic red-ball cricket will serve as the perfect warm-up for Rishabh Pant ahead of their upcoming Bangladesh Test series in mid-September. Fans will be excited to see if Pant can recover his good form ahead of the international clash. Pant last competed in a Test match against Bangladesh in Mirpur, in December 2022. In that match, the wicketkeeper batter notched 93 runs in the first innings followed by a 9-run knock in the second. His haul proved to be crucial as India won the match by three wickets.
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