The great Sunil Gavaskar feels the high-octane IPL is the perfect training ground for future India captains, providing the likes of Shubman Gill the required leadership experience before graduating to the highest level. Gujarat Titans skipper Gill is expected to captain India on the Test tour of England following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant is likely to be his deputy. Virat Kohli’s retirement, which came just days after Rohit’s decision, has left a massive void in the Test team. Gavaskar said it would take at least a couple of years for Gill and other potential leaders like Pant and Shreyas Iyer to become finished products.
“It would take a couple of years (to groom future leaders) to get to the level of our super captains (MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli). All of them brought a different approach to captaincy,” said Gavaskar in a response to a PTI query on Star Sports Press Room.
Pant is currently captaining LSG, while Iyer is leading the Punjab Kings in this IPL.
“When you see Gill, Iyer and Pant, three main pretenders to Indian captaincy you see an amalgamation of all three (Dhoni, Rohit, Virat). Gill probably is more competitive, when there is a decision, he is asking the umpire right away. He is probably a lot more involved.
“Though Pant is behind the stumps, he is also very involved. Iyer too has been superb. All three have brought a lot of positivity in the way they have been captaining.
“As a captain, nothing gets you more experience than pressure of a T20 game. It is the best training ground for captaincy,” added the former India captain.
