Former Indian cricketer Shahbaz Nadeem has said that captaincy is most crucial while fielding and if the Sunrisers Hyderabad pick Ishan Kishan as interim skipper for IPL 2026, he would be a good fit while keeping
behind the wickets.
Ishan racked up 317 runs during India’s T20 World Cup and ranks second in T20I batting standings, edging out Abhishek for SRH’s leadership.
Abhishek, a mainstay in the SRH team for the past seven seasons, was also in the running for leadership. But he lost out to Ishan, whose proven captaincy record gave him the edge.
In domestic cricket, Abhishek leads Punjab, but Ishan has shone as Jharkhand’s leader. He steered Jharkhand to their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, scoring 517 runs at a stunning strike rate of 197.32, including a 51-ball hundred in the final against Haryana.
“He has been captaining for a considerable amount of time now. He led India in the U-19 World Cup and has captained Jharkhand for a while. I think SRH has made a good decision in appointing him as captain,” Nadeem said while speaking to The Times of India.
“Captaincy is something that comes naturally. Leaders are born. You cannot make leaders. He has that attitude. I have seen it from close quarters. The way he has led Jharkhand in the last two years is commendable,” Nadeem added.
The former cricketer highlighted two standout traits in Ishan: his knack for connecting with young cricketers and his keen game-reading skills from behind the stumps.
“He makes all the youngsters comfortable and gives them freedom. It never feels like there is a captain among you. He is just another teammate. He tries to guide youngsters on and off the pitch and has the rare ability to bring the best out of them,” Nadeem said.
“The other thing is that he is a wicketkeeper. A keeper naturally reads the game better. A captain fielding at mid-on, mid-off or slips often relies on the keeper, as they understand the pitch better and have the best vantage point,” Nadeem added.
“While batting, you follow a plan, but captaincy is most crucial while fielding. If your captain is a keeper, it gives you an added advantage,” Nadeem said.
