'He has done everything with...': Ex-India star wants 23-year-old to captain Rajasthan Royals if Sanju Samson leaves

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) should pick Yashasvi Jaiswal as their next captain if Sanju Samson's trade to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) goes through. Though Riyan Parag was the one who had led the team in Samson's absence during the 2025 season, Kaif reckons that Jaiswal should be the captain as he has more experience when it comes to international cricket..

He also pointed out how Jaiswal has scored a ton of runs in both the home and overseas conditions and has been an incredible asset to the team in recent years.

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"See, Riyan Parag has been playing for a few years, but Jaiswal has the international experience (to lead the side). You can’t write off that. In my opinion, he should be the captain. It’s because wherever he goes around the world, he’s scoring runs,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

"His [Jaiswal] bad luck is that he’s not been able to play in T20Is and ODIs for India. He’s ready, but there are, of course, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill. So, he’ll have to wait. But he has done everything with the bat. Jaiswal has more experience under pressure in terms of international exposure. Even if they make Parag, they should give him time,” he added.

Kaif on Dravid's departure

Kaif further went on to share his remarks on Rahul Dravid's departure from the Rajasthan-based franchise as their head coach. He stated that it wiill be a big loss for the team to not have Dravid at the helm and highlighted the latter's achievements with the Indian team.

“Dravid's leaving is a big loss for the Rajasthan Royals because wins and losses happen. You can’t play well every year. Talking about Rahul Dravid, he guided India to the 2024 T20 World Cup a few months back. He did exceptionally well with Rohit Sharma… He has made himself with time. Dravid has an old-style coaching, and that’s why he could work with Rohit Sharma,” Kaif stated.

Dravid only spent one season with RR

Dravid had taken over as RR's head coach before the 2025 season, but his stint with the franchise could only last for one season as he stepped down from the role in August. Under his guidance, RR could only finish ninth on the IPL points table with just four wins from 14 games. It was definitely a season that the franchise would want to forget.