"It's one of the best things, he's already a legendary cricketer" - India captain Rishabh Pant excited to work alongside Rahul Dravid

Team India's captain for the T20I series against South Africa, Rishabh Pant, has said that having a legend like Rahul Dravid around as head coach is "one of the best things" for him.

The 24-year-old was named skipper of the Indian team for the five-match T20I series against the Proteas after KL Rahul was ruled out due to a right groin injury.

The India-South Africa series will begin with the first T20I on Thursday (June 9) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which is also Pant’s home ground.

At a press conference ahead of the opening match, the keeper-batter was asked about his views on having Dravid as coach of the Indian team. He replied:

"It is one of the best things to have him around. I worked with him in the U-19 days and then I have also worked with him in the Indian team. There is a lot of experience with him, he is already a legendary cricketer. I don’t have to introduce him to anyone.

"There are a lot of learnings from him, like discipline and how to conduct myself on and off the field, learning the game tactics. There is just a lot to learn from him."

While Pant will be leading the Men in Blue in the T20I series against South Africa, all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been named vice-captain.

Meanwhile, apart from Rahul, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also been ruled out of the T20I series. According to an official BCCI release, the bowler got hit on his right hand while batting in the nets.

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“A great feeling, especially getting an opportunity to lead in your home town” - Rishabh Pant on captaining India

Reacting after being named captain, Pant described the honor as a great feeling, especially since the first match was being played in Delhi. He said:

"It is a great feeling, especially getting an opportunity to lead in your home town. I will try to make the most of it."

Admitting that the experience of leading the Delhi Capitals (DC) will help him, the keeper-batter stated:

"I think as a captain, it will help me a lot because when you are doing the same thing again and again, you improve. I am someone who keeps learning from his mistakes and I think it will help me in the coming days."

Pant asserted that he would try to learn from vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to victory in their maiden IPL season. He said:

"He has won an IPL and it is a big thing. I will try to learn from him as much as I can."

Meanwhile, the BCCI has not named any replacements for the injured duo of Rahul and Kuldeep.

Both cricketers will report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where the medical team will assess them further and decide on the future course of treatment.