Gautam Veeru's choice
Virender Sehwag has said his fellow opener Gautam Gambhir is a leading candidate to captain India in the future. Sehwag felt Gambhir, his teammate at the club, state and national levels, had the potential to be groomed into a leader and that appointing him vice-captain in South Africa was clear indication that he could graduate into the captaincy.
"He (Gambhir) is a good cricketer, is very intelligent and Delhi have won the Ranji Trophy under him already once (in 2007-08)," Sehwag said in Mumbai.
Gambhir, named deputy to MS Dhoni in the Champions Trophy after Yuvraj Singh was forced home with a finger injury, was recently appointed Delhi Daredevils captain after Sehwag opted out of the role. Sehwag made public his intentions of not wanting the Indian vice-captaincy as he felt the selectors were better off grooming a youngster for the job, but was open to leading his country. "I never said I don't want captaincy," he said. "I don't want to be the vice-captain of Indian team."
Elaborating on his decision to step down from the leadership role with the Daredevils, Sehwag said he was disappointed the team couldn't qualify for the IPL final under him. "I tried for two years and we didn't qualify for the finals so I told the owners to try someone else's luck as mine was not working."
Sehwag targeted Australia's tour of India for seven one-day internationals later this year as the time for his return to international cricket. He said he would start by playing for Rest of India in the Irani Trophy next week and then graduate to the Daredevils in the Champions League Twenty20 before the home series beginning October 25. "I'm not yet fit for international cricket as I can't throw the ball from the boundary. During the Irani Cup I will be standing the slips since I'm the captain (of Rest of India) and if I perform I stand a good chance."
Sehwag returned to on-field cricket recently for the low-key JP Atray tournament after shoulder surgery for an injury sustained during the IPL and ruled him out of the ICC World Twenty20, a short visit to the West Indies, the triangular ODI series in Sri Lanka and the ongoing Champions Trophy.
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