IPL 2022 | Rishabh Pant could be international captain in years to come, says Ricky Ponting

Rishabh Pant will be leading the Delhi Capitals side for the second year in a row after having a successful IPL 2021 as a skipper. In his debut season as captain, Rishabh Pant led his team to the top of the points table during the league stage. For any young captain that is a huge feat and he was lauded for his efforts. However, he could not help them win the title which has eluded them since 2008. Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting believes Rishabh Pant has matured over the years and has the potential to lead the Indian team in the future as well. 

During a virtual media interaction, Ricky Ponting said, ''With some experience in a role like this in such a high-pressure tournament like the IPL, you know, I've got no doubt in years to come there is every chance that Rishabh could be international captain. No doubt about it". 

Ricky Ponting was a part of the Mumbai Indians squad when Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians. The former Australian skipper feels Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma have many similarities. 

When asked about the same he said, ''I haven't thought about that actually. But I think they are actually quite similar. When Rohit took over at Mumbai, he was quite a young man as well and he just sort of started out in his international career. He would probably be about 23-24, similar age to what Rishabh over here".

''To be totally honest, they're actually quite similar people. I know they're great mates and they probably exchange little things about leadership and captaincy along the way as well,'' he said.

Ricky Ponting said Rishabh Pant with Delhi Capitals can do what Rohit Sharma did with Mumbai Indians.

''There is every opportunity for Rishabh's journey to be quite similar to Rohit Sharma. Taking over as a young captain of a successful franchise and growing on a daily basis... Hopefully, Rishabh can have the same sort of success that Rohit had on Mumbai Indians'' Ponting added.

''This is my fifth season now here and the evolution of Rishabh as a player and as a person has been quite dramatic.'The last couple of years with some more responsibility in and around the Indian team, obviously captaining Delhi Capitals last season, there's a lot of learning experiences for him".

''It will just keep helping him become a better leader and a better person on a daily basis. There's no doubt that his maturity over the last 12 or 18 months with his play but also with his leadership and captaincy has been outstanding.''

He showered praise on Rishabh Pant further and said, ''He's got a very good grasp on what leadership is all about. He's been in a successful team and he's been under strong leaders in the past. So it's just up to me to see if anything that I can help him with, to make sure I'm doing that along the way.''