Pragyan Ojha Names A Player Who Can Lead Team India In The Future

Former India spinner and Indian Premier League governing council member, Pragyan Ojha on Tuesday said that Rishabh Pant, who is currently leading Delhi Capitals has a potential to lead team India in the future, if he continues to play like a matured leader in the upcoming years.

Rishabh Pant has taken his game to the next level in the last four months. It all started in Australia after Wriddhiman Saha was dropped after his failure in the Adelaide Test. Since then, Pant has done wonders in the game.

Not just this, after Shreyas Iyer ruled out of the IPL 2021, he has been given a big responsibility of leading the team. However, despite being just 23, he took the challenge and is currently leading Delhi Capitals under Ricky Ponting’s guidance.

Speaking on the same, the former Indian spinner Pragyan said that Pant’s composure and the way he handled himself after the heartbreaking loss is worth appreciating.

Stressing that he is able to sense a good aura around Rishabh Pant, Ojha said the Indian team management should keep an eye on the wicketkeeper-batsman’s leadership skills.

Pant has had a good start to his IPL captaincy career, having won 4 out of 6 matches with the Capitals and lost 5th match by just 1 run.

“The way he has led his team. Somehow I get a feeling that in the years to come, if Rishabh Pant bats the way he has been batting and shows this maturity, he can be the captain. He is showing that,” Ojha said on Sports Today.

“When you talk about a player, the aura around him shows it. It makes me feel that this is the guy who can be the captain of the Indian team.

“That’s what I feel after reading about him after talking to people about him. This is the same aura that was created about Sourav Ganguly, created about MS Dhoni. So that is how it is. I feel he can. It’s still far away.

“But right now, the way he is developing himself as a player and as a leader, that is something that the think tank should have a close look at. Under Ravi (Shastri) bhai, I think he will develop,” he added.

Pragyan Ojha Lauded Virat Kohli

Ojha also hailed the India captain Virat Kohli, saying the India captain is happy to see youngsters performing even if they are from other franchises in the IPL.

“Virat Kohli will be very very proud. The way the Indian team has been performing, the way RCB has been performing. I think he has got the trick as to how to develop a cricketer.

Notably, Kohli looked very impressed with Ravindra Jadeja’s performance in CSK versus RCB match. He even said that he is happy to see Jadeja back to form as it will be beneficial for team India in the upcoming months. On Tuesday, Kohli was quick to put an arm around Pant and console him after DC lost the match by just 1 run.

“If you see, he was very happy for Ravindra Jadeja. Today, if you see, he went and gave a pat on Rishabh Pant’s shoulders. That shows he thinks ‘okay IPL is there, franchise cricket is there’. He knows what kind of a role that Pant can play when India need him to perform.

“As a proud captain, he will be very happy and satisfied the way Indian cricket is moving forward. Look at someone like Avesh Khan, look at Chetan Sakariya, the pool is increasing,” Ojha said.