Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra is of the view that temperamentally strong – KL Rahul could be the next possible captain of Team India if Virat Kohli would decide to give away his captaincy in the foreseeable future.
Chopra further reiterated that one has to hand over the duties from time to time while citing an example of MS Dhoni, who was succeeded by Kohli as a leader.
“As they say, a time comes when you have to pass on the baton like MS Dhoni did to Kohli and Kohli will also have to do to someone at some point. When he does that, it is possible that Rahul will be next in line,” Aakash Chopra said.
Interestingly, former Indian opener Chopra, who talked about calculated decisions further made these comments after responding to a number of questions on his official Facebook page.
“Actually we will get an idea of his captaincy, how he runs the game, what strategies he uses,” Chopra further said.
During the Facebook live, Chopra further asserted that he has high hopes on Rahul as a captain for King XI Punjab (KXIP) when he was asked about India’s top-order batsman’s potential as a skipper.
“I have hope that his captaincy will be good,” Chopra added.
Owing to the observations, Chopra further opined that Rahul has all the ingredients in him what actually captain is bound to have to marshal his troops on the field.
I feel he will be a good captain: Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul
Besides, he believes the opportunity at KXIP will help him to prove his mettle as a captain.
Also, it is being seen as the prospect to gauge Rahul in terms of a leadership role during the impending edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Overall, Chopra opined that Rahul will be good at making decisions for his team in the IPL.
“So, this IPL will show us how KL Rahul will be like a captain but I feel, the manner in which I have seen him play and his temperament, I feel he will be a good captain,” Chopra stated.
Interestingly, in the final T20I against New Zealand, Rahul had handed a seven-run win to India as a leader earlier this year after Rohit Sharma picked an injuring during batting. In that particular overseas series, Virat Kohli was rested which further opened the doors for Rahul – to lead from the front in some point of time.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are of the same age bracket: Aakash Chopra
The 42-year-old Chopra remarked that Kohli and Rohit fall in the same age group – and India had to look for a youngster as a captain in the future.
“If we see Kohli and Rohit, they are of the same age bracket and at one time you may feel that they are not captain material anymore,” Aakash Chopra stated on passing the baton for the leadership.
Now, it would be interesting to see how KL Rahul will exhibit his skills as KXIP skipper in IPL 2020.
KXIP will face Delhi Capitals in their first match of the IPL 2020 at Dubai International Stadium on September 20.
