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    “You need to have a better IPL than this” – Aakash Chopra on Team India star’s leadership future after IPL 2026

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    Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that despite his poor record as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain in IPL 2026, Rishabh Pant could still be in contention for a future leadership role for the national side. However, the analyst noted that the wicketkeeper-batter needs to be among the runs in Tests and perform better in the IPL.

    LSG finished last in IPL 2026 under Pant’s leadership. The LSG skipper didn’t have a great run with the bat either, scoring 312 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 138.05 in 13 innings, and decided to give up captaincy at the end of the season.

    In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the cricketer-turned-commentator was asked whether he still sees Pant as a future India leader after his disappointing run in IPL 2026 and his removal as the Test vice-captain.

    “He would have to think about what has happened with him because being removed as Test vice-captain is not a great thing. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He is actually a very good Test cricketer. I have no idea why he was removed from vice-captaincy there, but he has been removed,” Chopra responded.

    “He hasn’t gotten chances at all in ODIs for the last two years, and suddenly, he has moved out because Ishan Kishan has come. A very middling IPL. You need to have a better IPL than this, and you will have to score runs in Tests as well to reclaim that lost glory. He can get the captaincy as well, although the captaincy CV is not looking good after what has happened at LSG,” he added.

    Aakash Chopra highlighted that, setting aside the leadership thoughts, Rishabh Pant needs to score runs to alleviate pressure on him. He added that the 28-year-old needs to figure out a way to score runs in T20s.

    “It’s been a decade since he had a 500-plus season” – Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma after IPL 2026

    In the same video, Aakash Chopra was asked about Rohit Sharma scoring around 350-400 runs in an IPL season but becoming a very different player when he plays for India.

    “I was wondering when the last time he had a 500-plus season was. It’s been a decade since he had a 500-plus season. He has won many trophies in between, but a 500-run season hasn’t come, and he plays as an opener,” he replied.

    While acknowledging that Rohit missed a few games in IPL 2026, Chopra expressed surprise about the former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain’s inability to score 500 runs in a season, highlighting that the stylish opener has scored more than 200 runs in an innings multiple times in ODIs.

    “It’s a slight anomaly because he was a part of a very good team and lifted the trophy. All other things remain fine, but a 500-run season should come. We can leave this season because he was injured, but that doesn’t sound right. He scores 200 runs in a single ODI for India, but not scoring 500 runs in an IPL season is a bit of a surprise,” he observed.

    Rohit Sharma scored 283 runs at an average of 35.38 in nine innings in IPL 2026. He hasn’t aggregated 500 runs in an IPL season since scoring 538 runs in 19 games in the Mumbai Indians’ victorious 2013 campaign.