At a time when Rohit Sharma is putting on a masterclass of captaincy and leadership in the ongoing ODI World Cup, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir was quizzed about who should be the ideal successor of Rohit in the Indian side. Four players -Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer - were named in the question but Gambhir came up with a strong-worded answer and schooled the fans who divulged in such topics.
Gambhir affirmed that discussions around such topics are a big problem in India and that such questions should never arise especially at a time when the current Indian skipper is doing a fantastic job.
"This is a massive problem in India. A captain is performing so well, but we are already talking about the youngsters who are performing well, stating that they could be the next India captain. This question should not be raised, why? Do you have to decide from now itself who should be the next Indian captain?" Gambhir said on Sportskeeda.
"We talk about Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, or Rishabh Pant being groomed. Have you ever thought how much pressure they must be under? If you groom them and they don’t perform well for six to 12 months, would you look at someone else?” he added.
Furthermore, Gambhir added that the best batter in the team doesn't always happen to be the best leader or captain.
"Any player scores 2-3 hundred, and talks begin about him being the future India captain. If he has 10 poor games and someone else does well, then he is spoken about as India’s future captain. This has been happening for years. I want to urge the fans not to say many things and let players enjoy their game. The selectors will make the best decision for India," Gambhir said.
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