3 reasons why Rishabh Pant as vice-captain in South Africa series is a good move

India will take on South Africa in a T20I series from Thursday (June 9th). KL Rahul will lead the new-look side while Rishabh Pant has been made his deputy. This could be a defining moment for Rishabh Pant - both as a batter in the shortest format and also as a leader in the side.

For all this exploits in Test cricket, Pant has not quite cracked the code in limited-overs internationals for India and with Dinesh Karthik being present in the squad, this series could define his future as a T20 prospect for India.

In this article, we take a look at three reasons why appointing Rishabh Pant as a vice-captain is a good move.

3. Experience garnered in the IPL

Rishabh Pant was good as Delhi Capitals skipper

When Shreyas Iyer got injured in the previous IPL season, Delhi Capitals appointed Rishabh Pant as the stand-in skipper. He showed promise as a leader, and the franchise retained him as the captain for this season as well. Captaining Delhifor nearly seasons should have given him the confidence to make decisions out on the field.

He did make a few questionable decisions made this IPL, but it was all part of the learning curve, and with experienced heads around him in international cricket, Pant could be the perfect candidate to assist KL Rahul out on the field.

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2. An eye on the future

Pant has matured as a cricketer

Over the last couple of years, Rishabh Pant has taken off as a Test player across all conditions. With Virat Kohli stepping down as captain and Rohit Sharma being named as the new skipper, this is the chance to groom Pant as the next long-term captain of the Indian side.

Pant has found support in Sunil Gavaskar and Yuvraj Singh and both these former players believe that he has the game sense to take up the mantle when the selectors decide to move on from Rohit Sharma.

“But he (Pant) is maturing with time. I don’t know how the support staff think about it, but I think he is the right guy to lead the Test team,” Yuvraj Singh said when Rohit Sharma was appointed Test captain.

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1. A wicket-keeper and a great team man

As a wicket-keeper he has a great view of the game

MS Dhoni set the benchmark quite high as a wicket-keeper captain and Pant can follow in his footsteps. He has a good view of the game from behind the stumps and from his constant chirps, one can easily gauge that he reads the game quite well.

Apart from this, he shares a good equation with almost everyone in the side and seems to get along with all players. His appointment as the vice-captain has come at a perfect time where he will be part of the decision-making cabal and how he communicates with teammates will be under scrutiny during this series.