Shane Warne explains why he doesn't want Rishabh Pant as India's captain

Former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne reckoned that a team shouldn't appoint a wicketkeeper as their skipper and hence, backed Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah as contenders for India's Test captaincy. Earlier this month, Virat Kohli stepped down as India's Test skipper after staying at the helm for as long as seven years since MS Dhoni's retirement.

Even as Sharma has taken over as India's ODI and T20I captain, doubts over Test leadership remain for the time being. Bumrah recently served as India's vice-captain and Warne said that the fast bowler has the potential to lead the team as well. Moreover, Warne lauded Kohli for being an inspirational figure and praised him for his style of captaincy.

"I do not believe a wicketkeeper (Rishabh Pant) should be a captain, I believe a wicketkeeper makes a good deputy, a good vice-captain. Looking at the Indian side, Jasprit Bumrah can make a good captain, Rohit Sharma can make a good captain," Warne told.

"Virat is such an inspiration to so many people, he is an inspirational leader and I am sad to see him resign as captain and step down. He is still playing Test cricket and he still believes that it is the number one form of the game. He will still be playing Test cricket for a long time and I look forward to seeing him play the longest format. I am a big fan of his," Warne mentioned.

Shane Warne reckons Ajinkya Rahane could have been captain

Prior to the T20 World Cup, Kohli relinquished T20I captaincy and also stepped down as the skipper of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In January, Rohit replaced Kohli as India's ODI skipper as well. Warne also believed that Ajinkya Rahane knows the art of captaincy, but also felt that poor run of form might not help his cause. "Rahane is a very good captain, India is lucky to have so many options but I think Rohit will get the captaincy," he added. Back in 2020-21, India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia for the first time after Kohli left following the Adelaide Test match. Rahane led India in the last three Tests and scripted glory for the national team.