Indore: Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale believes that KL Rahul should be handed over the Indian Test cricket team’s captaincy as the 29-year-old batter can provide long-term leadership after Virat Kohli’s stunning decision to step down.
Kohli on Saturday dropped a bombshell by quitting Test captaincy, a day after India suffered a Test series defeat to a second-string South Africa.
The Delhi player signed off as India’s most successful captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests after taking over back in 2014 when MS Dhoni stepped down in the middle of the series against Australia.
“I feel that the next India Test captain should be the one who can take the responsibility for a longer period of time. So accordingly, I would suggest KL Rahul’s name as the next test captain,” Jagdale, who was also an office-bearer with Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), told PTI.
The BCCI has not yet announced the next Test captain. Rohit Sharma was named Kohli’s deputy before the Test series against South Africa and Rahul took over captaincy duties during the second Test after both Kohli and Rohit suffered injuries.
The 71-year-old Indore-based Jagdale feels that Rahul has performed in all the three formats of the game.
Jagdale also stressed that the BCCI and the selectors should ensure that the IPL “power centres” do not interfere in policies of Indian cricket.
Kohli took India to new heights in his tenure which saw the team become a force to reckon with in all conditions.
However, in the past few months, Kohli endured tense relations with the BCCI which removed him as ODI skipper after the star batter decided to leave T20 captaincy.
Jagdale, who also played 53 first-class matches, hailed Kohli’s contribution.
“Nobody can ignore Kohli’s contribution in Test cricket,” Jagdale, one of the veteran administrators of the game, signed off.
