I am not sure if he was waiting for this day or was it an instant decision but the truth is, we are going to miss a legend leading from the front, on and off the field. One day after ICC readmits Nepal as an ICC member, Paras Khadka has resigned from his role as the team captain.
He was the longest-serving captain in Associate cricket as he led the team since Nov 2009. He led Nepal from Division five to the ODI nation. I am sure everyone will remember his contribution and achievements during that period. I am not going to bore you with the facts which you already know. What I am going to talk about is what happens to Nepali Cricket from now on.
So far my knowledge is concerned, Dipendra S. Airee is the front line candidate for the captaincy as he had led our U19 side reasonably and has an amazing domestic record as a captain. He, too, loves added responsibilities.
With his resignation, now the question is who is going to lead the team? Being honest, we may never find another captain as capable as Khadka in every aspect but we have to select from the options we have.
So, here’s what I think:
I assume the main purpose of this resignation is to groom a new, young captain during his period on the field before he retires. No matter how the news of resignation came as a shock, a day will come when he steps down as a player. Even that situation will be dealt with.
However, the Nepali cricket team needs to get an experienced captain and a balanced young team before Paras stops playing for the team. Going by the young enthusiasts, Dipendra S.Airee, Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane are some deserving candidates. Gyanendra Malla or Sarad Veshwakar can be the options.
Lamichhane is too young to take the lead. Hopefully, he will become more mature and capable and lead the team in the future.
Sompal Kami has learned a lot from Paras as well as Rohan Mustafa during domestic leagues. His chances seem higher. The problem, however, is his position in the T20 side which may be in danger with this form and may even create problems. But if we go with a different captain in a different format, Sompal surely can be an option to look out for the ODI side.
So far my knowledge is concerned, Dipendra S. Airee is the front line candidate for the captaincy as he had led our U19 side reasonably and has an amazing domestic record as a captain. He, too, loves added responsibilities.
However, I always wanted Sarad to lead the national T20 side. His captaincy has been proven very effective in domestic leagues as the teams led by him have fantastic records.
For the ODI side, Dipendra S. Airee should lead the team with Sompal Kami as Vice-Captain. They will do the job fairly and will learn to do better with experiences.
For the T20 side, for now, Sarad should lead the team with Lamichhane as Vice-Captain. By the time Sarad retires, Lamichhane will learn a lot from national side experience as well as international franchise leagues and be ready to lead the T20 side.
Different captains for different formats may be helpful to form different and suitable teams for different formats. The player selection could be wider and helpful.
Whatever happens, whoever becomes the captain, from now on, for the new captain, the target is World Cup.
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