"He is a game changer" - Aakash Chopra on who can be India's Test captain after Rohit Sharma

Aakash Chopra has picked Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as India's potential Test skippers in the long run once Rohit Sharma decides to give up his captaincy.

The selectors recently named a 16-member Indian squad, with Rohit at the helm, for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa. While Gill is part of the squad, Pant wasn't considered as he has not yet fully recovered from the injuries sustained in a horrific car accident.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked who he thinks will be India's next Test captain after Rohit, to which he responded (7:00):

"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."

The former India opener added:

"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."

Gill, 24, has never captained India in any format but will be leading the Gujarat Titans in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Pant has skippered the Men in Blue in five T20Is but has never led them in the longest format.

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"They can win but it's not going to be easy" - Aakash Chopra on whether India can win their first-ever Test series in South Africa

India suffered a 2-1 defeat in their last Test series in South Africa. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra was also asked whether India can win their first-ever Test series in South Africa, to which he replied (6:25):

"They can win but it's not going to be easy because it's just a two-match series. There are fewer chances of draws in a two-match series and we take time to read the conditions, although we will be fully prepared as we will reach there after playing quite a few friendly and India A games."

Chopra added that the Proteas are formidable opponents in home conditions and that all results are possible in the two-match series. He elaborated:

"However, South Africa in South Africa is a different beast altogether. I feel India will do well but whether they will win - no idea, it won't be easy. The series might end 1-1, we might win and could lose as well. I am not ruling out any result because it is South Africa."

India have never won a Test series in South Africa. The only time they drew a Test series in South Africa was in 2010-11 when they won the second game by 87 runs after losing the first, with the last match not yielding a result.