"India have a captain in waiting for the next 10 years" - Graeme Swann reveals his pick for next India skipper

As Virat Kohli's reign as India's T20 International (T20I) captain came to an end on Monday, Graeme Swann named his suggestion to replace him as the country's skipper in the shortest format of the game.

While Rohit Sharma is widely touted to take over, with Kohli and outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri both dropping hints that the Mumbai Indians skipper is next in line in T20Is, Swann opined that it should be someone with the future in mind.

Speaking on Cricket.com's YouTube channel, the former England spinner said:

"Might be, but not for me (On Rohit being the next captain). You have to look to the future. I think India have a captain in waiting for the next 10 years. You know who I’m talking about, it’s Rishabh Pant."

Rishabh Pant captained the Delhi Capitals in the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading them to the playoffs as table-toppers in the league stage.

However, they succumbed to defeats to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator.

Swann said Pant has shades of both Virat Kohli and his predecessor MS Dhoni.

"He did a great job in Delhi, he’s very level-headed and he seems like a sort of a mix between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. He's very level-headed like MS Dhoni, but he's got a bit of spirit about him, like Virat. Like how he laughs and giggles and is chirpy behind the stumps."

Swann believes despite the next T20 World Cup being in 2022 itself, India should look to the future while appointing a captain, as that would allow for more sustained success.

"The only reason I'd say not Rohit Sharma is the age difference. With Rishabh Pant, you've got someone there for the next 10 years, whereas Rohit has been around a lot already.

"Rohit’s a brilliant skipper, we know that, and he's done the job for Mumbai, so if he should take over, you've got a ready-made skipper. But if I were India, I'd think long-term and go for Rishabh Pant."

The 42-year-old said teams like England used to make decisions looking at the short-term, and that never paid off.

Virat Kohli a solid captain, but not winning an ICC trophy will bug him: Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann further elaborated that Virat Kohli was a solid captain, but that he would be bothered by the fact that he couldn't add an ICC trophy under his leadership.

Kohli, of course, has a great record in bilateral series, but has not won a multi-team tournament yet.

"Bilateral series, great when you win them, but you don’t get judged by them. Virat is a solid captain. He’s not someone like Eoin Morgan who can be really bad with the bat but can win games single-handedly with his captaincy, but he never loses games as a skipper.

"And he’s someone who invokes passion and lot of spirit in his team. But not winning an ICC trophy will bug him," Swann noted.

India won 32 out of the 50 matches Kohli captained in T20Is.