Ex-India Star Picks "24-Carat Gold" Player To Succeed Rohit Sharma As Test Captain

Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra believes that Rishabh Pant can end up replacing Rohit Sharma as the Test captain in the near future. Chopra went on to call Pant a '24-carat gold' Test cricketer and said that a 'gamechanger' like the wicket-keeper batter can be perfect as a long-term replacement of Rohit. Chopra also named Shubman Gill as a possible alternative along with Pant and although not much is known about his captaincy skills, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season will see the opener lead Gujarat Titans after the departure of Hardik Pandya. On the other hand, Pant is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury and he will also be leading the Delhi Capitals franchise.

"I am talking about extremely long-term, it could be Shubman Gill. I am not talking about now, I am talking about the distant future. It could be Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant as a Test cricketer is 24-carat gold," Aakash Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

"So he could also be the one. He is a game-changer. So I will look towards one of these two once Rohit says he is done with Test cricket and that you can appoint someone else as the skipper," Chopra added.

Pant will be back in action from the next IPL season, Delhi Capitals director of cricket Sourav Ganguly has said.

Pant, the Delhi Capitals skipper, had a close shave after his car hit a divider and caught fire in a terrifying accident in December last year.

Having suffered multiple injuries, Pant was back on his feet after 40 days and on Thursday, he joined his teammates during Delhi Capitals' training session at the Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus ground.

"He's (Pant) good now. He will play in the IPL next season," Ganguly told reporters giving