New Delhi: National selection committee chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth said a captain must be somebody who motivates his players.

“I believe that a leader is not born. He needs grooming. So what the selectors do is to pick the best players and groom those who can be leaders. He needs to establish himself as a player first and needs experience,” the former India captain said Thursday during a panel discussion.

“Kapil Dev is an example who can inspire and motivate his players. His inspiring leadership was instrumental in India winning the 1983 World Cup,” the former opening batsman said.

Srikkanth believes that the selectors should trust the players they pick and give them enough time to prove their ability.

“Of course, we (selectors) pick players who are talented and have the potential. Then we have to keep faith in them and give them security. We have to give them some time to prove their potential. We can’t discard them after one or two failures,” he said.

“Take the example of Gautam Gambhir… A couple of years back he was very tense before a Test in Bangalore. He must have been thinking whether he will play the next game if he fails... I remember telling him he will be selected for the next match or even for the whole series. He has not stopped scoring big runs since,” the former India captain said.