'It's never easy to come in and fill in for someone as a stopgap captain, especially when you've just lost a Test match.'
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes Rishabh Pant's experience as a wicketkeeper-batter will help him read the game better and make smarter decisions when he leads India in the must-win second Test against South Africa starting in Guwahati on Saturday.
Pant is set to take over the captaincy in the absence of regular skipper Shubman Gill, who suffered a neck spasm while batting in the first innings of the opening Test in Kolkata which India lost by 30 runs.
Ponting, who has worked with Pant in the IPL, said that stepping in as a stand-in captain after a recent Test loss is challenging, but Pant's experience as a wicketkeeper would help him handle evolving match situations.
"It's never easy to come in and fill in for someone as a stopgap captain, especially when you've just lost a Test match. Rishabh is a reasonably experienced Test match player though. I think being a wicketkeeper probably helps to see the way the game is evolving and what's happening in the game," Ponting said as quoted by ICC.
"He has done it in the IPL for the last few years. Certainly, he has done it at Delhi (Capitals). I think he'll handle it well."
Together at the Capitals, Pant and Ponting had shared a strong bond before the former switched to Lucknow Super Giants and the latter to Punjab Kings.
Though Pant has abundant experience of leading teams in white-ball cricket, this will be the first time the 28-year-old will be donning the captain's hat in the longest format.
"It will be interesting to see how he plays as captain and whether he changes his style of play as captain or as a batter. I think the one thing that's probably not spoken about enough with these so-called younger Indian players now is that when they play for India in a Test match or even leading their team, they get that great experience from the IPL."
"The IPL is probably almost as big as a Test match for a lot of these guys because of the crowds and the scrutiny that comes in an IPL game. I think the modern players are a bit more ready for that and a bit for those leadership roles and the enormity of the situation than they might have been 15 years ago. So I think Rishabh will handle it fine," Ponting added.