Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has shared his thoughts on India A’s captaincy options ahead of the upcoming multi-format series against Australia A. The Australia A tour of India is scheduled to begin in late September, with both sides set to compete across multi-day and One-Day matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed captain of India A’s One-Day squad, with Devdutt Padikkal named his deputy. However, the decision has sparked debate, particularly because Rajat Patidar is also part of the squad.

Rajat Patidar has built strong leadership credentials after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to consecutive IPL titles in 2025 and 2026. Jaffer believes Gaikwad’s appointment could largely be linked to his seniority within the India A setup. At the same time, he feels there were several deserving candidates, including Patidar and Ishan Kishan, and that the decision should not become a major issue within the dressing room.

“As far as I know, Gaikwad is slightly senior. He has been playing for India A for a while. But it does make sense that Rajat Patidar also deserves captaincy. Even Ishan Kishan. He has been leading well. But you can hand it to anyone out of these three. I don’t think it is that big a matter. Yes, Patidar and Kishan have better credentials, but Gaikwad is slightly ahead in terms of seniority. I don’t think the players will mind,” Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

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India A will play two multi-day matches against Australia A from September 22, followed by three One-Day games beginning October 6. All five matches will be played in Puducherry. Jaffer also discussed whether Gaikwad should continue as Chennai Super Kings captain in the IPL. CSK endured another difficult campaign in 2026, finishing eighth in the standings and missing the playoffs.

However, Wasim Jaffer believes Gaikwad’s batting form is a bigger concern than his leadership. The opener scored 337 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44, numbers Jaffer feels do not match the demands of modern T20 cricket.

“It will be a tough call. Gaikwad’s batting form was not great. His captaincy was not that bad. There were issues with injuries and the availability of many players. His batting form was a concern. I think he needs to focus more on that than captaincy. Given how the T20 game is moving, he is currently not playing as per that template,” he said.

Wasim Jaffer also suggested Sanju Samson could be considered as a potential CSK captain in the future. He believes the franchise should be willing to make a tough decision if it feels a leadership change can improve results.

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“I feel Samson can become captain. The CSK management has to take that call. I don’t think it will be a bad call even if they remove Gaikwad from captaincy. IPL is a result-oriented league, and sometimes emotions have to be put aside.”

Gaikwad has led CSK in 33 matches since taking over the captaincy in 2024. The franchise has won only 14 of those games and lost 19, giving him a win percentage of 42.42. CSK have also failed to qualify for the playoffs in each season since 2024, increasing the pressure on the leadership group ahead of the next IPL campaign.