IND vs SA: "Indian Team Performed Extremely Well In Virat Kohli's Captaincy In Tests.."- Irfan Pathan

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that the team management should focus on grooming Rohit Sharma’s successor in 2024. Irfan Pathan highlighted the potential for significant changes and suggested preparing two or three leaders to mitigate challenges.

After leading India to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Rohit Sharma is currently leading the team in the two-match Test series in South Africa. The uncertainty surrounds the veteran opener’s future captaincy in white-ball cricket, including the T20 World Cup 2024.

India faced a heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup final against Australia. India fell short of winning the title despite registering 10 consecutive victories in the tournament. Rohit Sharma was rested from the recent white-ball series against Australia and South Africa.

There Are Chances Of A Lot Of Chances In 2024 – Irfan Pathan

Speaking on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan acknowledged Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s impactful captaincy and the team’s remarkable performance during their respective tenures. Pathan posed a crucial question about the succession plan after Rohit Sharma.

“There are chances of a lot of changes in 2024. So if we prepare two or three leaders, we won’t have too many problems. The focus should also be on which leaders you will prepare. The Indian team performed amazingly well for five years under Virat Kohli’s leadership in Test cricket,” Irfan Pathan told Star Sports.

“They reached the No. 1 ranking. His fitness was fantastic. He performed well in every match and extracted performance from the team in every match. Rohit Sharma also got the team to perform amazingly well. We saw it in the World Cup and he won the Asia Cup but who after Rohit Sharma?”

Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav led the T20I squad against Australia and South Africa in the absence of Hardik Pandya. Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who was removed from the vice-captaincy earlier this year, led the team in the ODI series in South Africa.

India Needs To Trepare A Good Fast-Bowling Unit – Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan emphasized the need for a well-prepared fast-bowling unit, citing the challenges faced in South Africa due to a lack of fully ready alternatives.

“I personally feel the Indian team needs to prepare a good fast-bowling unit in 2024. We saw what happened in South Africa. We didn’t have very good fully ready backups for fast bowlers. It’s not that they don’t have quality but they weren’t ready, so you felt Mohammed Shami’s absence,” Pathan further added.

“It means, God forbid, if something happens to Jasprit Bumrah, we have seen him getting injured earlier because of his action, we will look left and right and we won’t get quality bowlers like that.”

Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the red-ball series in South Africa due to a heel injury. Prasidh Krishna replaced him in the playing XI but struggled to make an impact. Jasprit Bumrah (4/69) was the only bowler to trouble the opposition batters in the match.

Also read: IND vs SA: Irfan Pathan Backs Either Of Avesh Khan And Mukesh Kumar To Replace Prasidh Krishna in 2nd Test