"They are very relaxed" - Saba Karim compares captaincy styles of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant

Former Indian wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim believes both Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant have similar leadership qualities. The way the duo approach their leadership roles for their respective teams is pretty relaxed, according to the 54-year-old.

Karim feels that such a relaxed atmosphere helps bring the best out of other players. Here's what he had to say about the captaincy styles of the two Indian stars on the YouTube podcast 'Khelneeti':

"Both Pant and Rohit have similar abilities on and off the field, they are very relaxed. Because of this, even the players feel a lot more relaxed and that is currently the atmosphere in this Indian team. When the captain is relaxed, it gives the players a lot more confidence."

Saba Karim is also a part of the Delhi Capitals thinktank and he is extremely happy with the performances of Pant in the series against Sri Lanka. The 54-year-old reckons this would help bring the best out of Pant in the IPL 2022 season. He added:

"The styles of their captaincy as seen for Mumbai Indians as well as the Delhi Capitals, there are many similarities, it is all pretty relaxed. Pant winning the Man of the Series is a great sign for Delhi Capitals. When the captain is in great headspace, it definitely helps the team."

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Rishabh Pant looks like the only viable future India captain: Rajkumar Sharma

Former Delhi cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes Rishabh Pant needs to be groomed as India's next captain across formats.

Although Rohit Sharma was recently appointed as the Indian captain, he is already 34. Rajkumar Sharma feels India need to keep Pant ready to take over from Rohit. He stated on the 'Khelneeti' podcast on YouTube:

"Rishabh Pant looks like the only viable option to take the captaincy of the Indian team. He needs to be groomed because he has great leadership qualities and his place in the team is fixed across formats."

A number of other candidates like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are also in the running. It will be interesting to see who India grooms to be their next long-term captain.