Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is a game-changer in Test cricket, saying that the youngster can replace Rohit Sharma as the next Indian captain in the longest format of the game. Pant has led the Indian team in five T20 Internationals only and has been leading Delhi Capital in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Indian selectors recently announced a 16-man squad for the forthcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, with Rohit leading the side. Pant was not considered for the squad because he has not yet fully recovered from the injuries received in a tragic vehicle accident last year.

“I am talking about extremely long-term, it could be Shubman Gill. I am not talking about now, I am talking about the distant future. It could be Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant as a Test cricketer is 24-carat gold,” Aakash Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Pant made a remarkable recovery following the accident, which resulted in several injuries, and joined his teammates last month during the Delhi Capitals’ training session at the Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus pitch, signalling his return to active cricketing responsibilities.

Notably, Pant was also the only Indian to be picked in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year 2022. Pant had a tremendous year with the bat in 2022, scoring 680 runs in 12 innings with an average of 61.81 and a strike rate of 90.90. Pant went onto score two centuries and four fifties while hit 21 sixes in Tests in 2022. He was solid with the gloves, producing six stumpings and taking 23 catches.

“So he could also be the one. He is a game-changer. So I will look towards one of these two once Rohit says he is done with Test cricket and that you can appoint someone else as the skipper,” Chopra added.