T20 World Cup 2021: “Would prefer Rohit and Rahul as captain and vice-captain” - Danish Kaneria on India’s new T20I leaders

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has backed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to take over as India’s new T20I captain and vice-captain respectively. According to Kaneria, Rishabh Pant is also a good leadership option but, for now, he would prefer Rohit and Rahul in captaincy roles.

Virat Kohli’s stint as T20I captain came to an end following India’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2021. It was a disappointing finish as the Men in Blue crashed out of the ICC event following the Super 12 round.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria gave his opinion on the likely candidates for India’s T20 captaincy roles. The 40-year-old said:

“Team India will now play New Zealand (in a home series) and it remains to be seen what changes will be made. It also remains to be seen who will take over as T20 captain. Rohit Sharma is at top of the list as far as taking over the T20 leadership is concerned. According to me, Rohit Sharma should be handed over the captaincy and KL Rahul should be the vice-captain, so that he can learn the tricks of the trade. There is Rishabh Pant as well but I would prefer Rohit and Rahul as captain and vice-captain.”

Rohit has been the vice-captain of the India’s limited-overs teams for a few years now and is the most likely candidate to take over the leadership role in T20Is.

Good time for India to rebuild and start preparing for next T20 World Cup” - Danish Kaneria

Virat Kohli during the match against Namibia. Pic: Getty Images

Apart from the end of Kohli’s reign as T20I captain, the T20 World Cup was also the last for Ravi Shastri as head coach. Admitting that the ICC event in the UAE did not go according to plans for India, he asserted that it is the right time for them to bring in youngsters and start building for the next T20 World Cup.

India will have a new coach in Rahul Dravid starting from the New Zealand series. Speaking about the future of Indian cricket, the former leggie stated:

“The World Cup journey is over. They have to get together now. Rahul Dravid has come in as the new coach. With a new captain, he will build a new strategy. I feel new players should be inducted into the team for the New Zealand series. (Senior) players should be rested because IPL ended up causing fatigue for a lot of players. It is not easy to be in a bio-bubble for so long. Players were in England, then featured in the IPL followed by the World Cup.

Kaneria further suggested that BCCI can try out some players who succeeded in IPL 2021. He added:

“BCCI can give a chance to young IPL players like (Ruturaj) Gaikwad and Avesh Khan. Ishan Kishan can also be retained. This is a good time for India to rebuild and start preparing for the next T20 World Cup.”

India’s home series against New Zealand will begin with the first of three T20Is on November 17. The Kiwis' tour of India will also comprise two Tests.