Rishabh Pant should be groomed for Test team captaincy, says Yuvraj Singh

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has called on the national selectors to appoint Rishabh Pant as vice-captain of the national team.

In an exclusive interview with the newly launched channel Sports18, Yuvraj says Pant needs to be “groomed and given time”, describing the Keeper-Batsman as a player whose “game has evolved in recent years.”

“You must get someone ready. Like Mahi became captain out of nowhere but they made him, right! Then he evolved,” says Yuvraj who believes Pant can be the right man to lead the Test team in near future. “Keeper is always a good thinker because he always has the best view on the ground.”

“You pick a young guy who can be a future captain, give him time and don’t expect miracles in the first six months or a year. I feel you must believe in the younger guys to get the job done,” he adds.

The former India star dismissed critics questioning Pant’s maturity. “I was immature at that age, Virat was immature when he was captain at that age. But he (Pant) is maturing with time,” says Yuvraj. “I don’t know how the support staff think about it, but I think he is the right guy to lead the Test team.”

Yuvraj revealed that in his conversations with Pant, he often cites the example of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, who made 17 Test centuries batting at number seven. “You already have four Test hundreds already and you can do that. In terms of best wicket-keeper batsman, I see Rishabh could be the future legend,” says Yuvraj in the first episode of Home of Heroes, Sports18’s newest offering.