Pant, who captains Delhi Capitals, became the second-youngest player to captain India in T20 internationals and received mixed ratings for his leadership skills at the recently concluded IPL. Some of the fans hailed his leadership skills, while the rest had doubts.
South African legend Graeme Smith has given his verdict on Pant’s captaincy
Smith, South Africa’s most successful captain, supported Pant’s decisions and said, “You always criticise a captain when you lose. He has to take a lot on his chin. Post his (Pant’s) last game for Delhi Capitals, which was a must-win game, and he made some tough calls; I was very interested in watching him. But I think against South Africa; he was very good. He went to the right people at the right time. He tried to stay in the game.”
He further asked Pant to not think much about his decisions. “When South Africa was under pressure, he went to Harshal Patel and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). All in all, he made a lot of the right decisions. They won’t work out at times because your bowlers have to deliver. I think he can look back and say, ‘I made the right decisions at the right time’. I think he can gain some confidence after the first outing.”