Rishabh Pant declined Delhi captaincy as he isn’t well-versed with local players

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Rishabh Pant’s lesser knowledge of the local players’ capabilities and the prevailing ecosystem led him to decline captaincy of the Delhi team in their Ranji Trophy game against Saurashtra in Rajkot. It has nothing to do with a desire to have a say in the Ranji Trophy game. On the other hand, he has promised the DDCA that he will do what it takes to help skipper Ayush Badoni and the team to get a favourable result.

Pant, already a prominent leader in the IPL with Delhi Capitals, feels a certain responsibility toward both his state and the larger cricketing ecosystem.He will definitely take the lead on the field and help Badoni in the game.

There is always an underlying tension in the squad when a young player is picked as skipper over established seniors. Senior players, especially those who have captained before, may feel threatened or sidelined by the promotion of a junior, especially if they have more experience or a higher profile in the domestic or international circuit.
Earlier, Pant had captained Delhi as he had replaced current Indian coach Gautam Gambhir as skipper. For the selectors, picking a younger player like Pant that time ahead of a senior like Gambhir was to send a message of change, but it also risked causing friction within the team. Fortunately, in this Delhi team there isn’t any such thing right now and Pant seems to have done the right thing by turning down the offer of leading the Delhi team.