Gautam Gambhir picks Hardik Pandya, Prithvi Shaw as future India leaders

After leading India to glory at the U19 World Cup in 2018 in New Zealand, Prithvi Shaw didn’t take much time in making his international debut for the senior India squad.

The 23-year-old made his Test debut against the West Indies in the same year in Rajkot and became the 15th player from India to score a debut Test ton but couldn’t solidify his place following poor performances and off-the-field controversies.

The youngster first failed a dope test in 2019 and later, his fitness and lifestyle issues became a matter of concern. In March 2022, just before the Indian Premier League, Shaw also failed to pass the yo-yo test. His score was below 15 while the minimum score needed to make the cut was 16.5.

Despite all that, his performances for Mumbai in the domestic tournaments have been top-notch so far. He seems to have impressed former India international Gautam Gambhir, who identifies him as a natural leader and believes that his aggression can help the Indian team in future.

 Billing Shaw as a future India captain, Gambhir believes it’s the duty of the current coach and selectors to help him get back on track.

“The reason I've picked Prithvi Shaw, I know a lot of people talk about his off-field activities, but that is what the job of the coach and the selectors is. The selectors' job isn't just to pick the 15, but also to get people walk the right path,” the two-time IPL-winning captain said while talking at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi.

“Prithvi Shaw is one I feel can be a very aggressive captain, a very successful captain because you see that aggression in the way a person plays the sport,” Gambhir added.

Unfortunate for Rohit, I think judging his captaincy in only one ICC event is not the right way: Gambhir

After India’s embarrassing loss to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma’s future as the India captain in T20Is is under the scanner. Hardik Pandya, who won the Indian Premier League 2022 with Gujarat Titans and also defeated Ireland and New Zealand on their home turfs is currently leading the race with KL Rahul being the other option to become the next leader in the shortest format.

Gambhir, who has experience in leading India on various occasions, acknowledges Hardik to be the next Indian skipper but also stated that it’s unfair for Rohit to be judged by only one ICC event.

“Hardik Pandya obviously is in line but that's going to be unfortunate for Rohit because I think judging his captaincy in only one ICC event is not the right way to probably judge him,” Gambhir said at the same event.