23-year-old Rishabh Pant is set to take on his first captaincy assignment in the Indian Premier League, as he will lead the Delhi Capitals in the 2021 edition. The side's captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the season with a shoulder injury, forcing the Capitals to select a new captain for the edition.
Pant has been in brilliant form in the international circuit over the past few months, with multiple match-winning performances in the series against Australia and England. However, former Indian captain Kapil Dev believes that it "will not be easy" for the young wicketkeeper-batsman to take on the leadership role in the IPL.
“He has become the captain, what can be more secure than that. But with captaincy comes responsibility, as well. It will not be easy for Pant. I wanted him to continue his fearless game but if management thinks that he can do better as a captain in near future then why not. We'll have to wait for the result of this responsibility in this season," said Kapil Dev in a conversation with ABP News.
“We should focus on how he handles the team. It's not an easy task with so many senior players. A small section of people can blame him if DC don't perform. As the time passes, I hope he comes out with flying colours,” Kapil added.
The Indian World Cup-winning former captain further added that he faced a similar challenge during his initial days in international cricket.
Dev was named the Indian captain at the age of 23, as he led the team which had vastly experienced players like Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Madan Lal, among others.
“If senior players support him then it won't be that difficult for him. I had a similar experience of becoming a Captain at such a young age," said the former Indian captain.
“Ricky Ponting can control the game only in the dressing room. Once the team is out on the ground, it's the captain's thought process that matters more. And experienced players like Rahane and Dhawan will have to support the young captain. Sometimes the support is missing and we have to wait for the first few matches to get there,” Dev said.
