'You can hand it to anyone out of these three' - Wasim Jaffer shares his views on India A captaincy options in series vs Australia

India A captaincy race: Jaffer says any of three can lead vs Australia A

Ruturaj Gaikwad's got the ODI armband for the 3-match ODI series vs Australia A (starts Oct 6, Puducherry), with Padikkal as deputy. Devdutt leads the 2-match red-ball leg from Sep 22.

Former batter Wasim Jaffer weighed in on who should've led, and honestly he's spot on. He broke down 3 names — Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan — and reckons any of them can do the job.

His take: "Gaikwad's slightly senior, been playing India A for a while. But Patidar and Kishan have better captaincy credentials — Kishan's been leading well too. You can hand it to anyone of these three. Not a big deal."

So the debate boils down to seniority vs proven leadership. Gaikwad edges it on tenure; Patidar and Kishan bring stronger captaincy track records. Jaffer's message — the boys won't mind whoever wears the band.

Squad watch: Full India A ODI list out — Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal, Gaikwad, Patidar, Kumar Kushagra, Nishant Sindhu, VIP, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Prabhsimran, Gurjapneet, Yash Thakur. Note: Hardik's not played competitive cricket since IPL 2026.

My read: Leadership's not about the name on the cap — it's about who's got the team's trust and the template to win. Gaikwad's the safe seniority play, but if I'm backing a bet, Patidar's credentials scream value. 📊

Source: Crictracker