Does Luke Donald think Rory McIlroy would make a great Ryder Cup captain?

Luke Donald knows a thing or two about being a successful Ryder Cup captain, but how does he think Rory McIlroy would cope if he was to take on the role in the future?

Donald has been lauded as Europe's greatest ever skipper having led them to back-to-back victories in Rome and New York, and he has not yet ruled out the possibility of a third stint for Adare Manor in 2027.

The former world No 1 is expected to make his decision in a few weeks' time as he turns his attention to playing tournament golf again, and he features in a strong field at this week's inaugural DP World India Championship in Delhi.

Bethpage heroes McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland are also teeing it up at Delhi GC along with Team USA star Ben Griffin in the penultimate event of the regular DP World Tour season.

Donald insisted he would be happy to help his successor if he chooses not to stay on as Europe's Ryder Cup captain in Ireland, with Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari among the possible contenders to take the reigns.

But looking further into the future, Donald was asked if McIlroy would be a good fit for the role at his pre-tournament press conference.

"Well, just the fact that Rory loves the Ryder Cup more than anything," said the 47-year-old. "He made it quite evident that winning an away Ryder Cup would really be the icing on an amazing year that he had this year.

"Yeah, he loves what it represents. You've seen the emotion from losing to winning. Anyone that has that passion for a Ryder Cup I think would make a good captain."

Donald is still celebrating Europe's nail-biting 15-13 victory in New York as they narrowly held off a titanic USA fightback on the final day, and he continued to make it clear he will not be rushed into making a decision on the 2027 captaincy.

And he is also very aware that many believe he is Europe's finest Ryder Cup captain, although he played down those tributes with typical modesty.

"Well, I'm trying to still enjoy this one, whether it be a captain or whether I'm not a captain", he added. "If I'm not a captain in two years' time and the captain wants me to be there, then I'm sure I would be happy to help him in any way he wanted.

"It's pretty humbling when someone says you're the greatest captain. Maybe it's a little bit of a reaction in the present moment, but I've certainly given a lot to it. 

"I'm very happy with the results that came with it, but you need those 12 players. You need the backroom teams. You need the vice captains. You need so many others to make that happen.

"Certainly I play a role, but I play a small role in terms of a larger picture. I certainly couldn't do it without the amazing support we have behind me."

Donald also insisted he did not need to do anything out of the ordinary to motivate his players at Bethpage Black, claiming his main priority was ensuring a close bond in the team room.

"I don't think my job is to motivate them, these are highly motivated players," he said. "The Ryder Cup means a lot, and my job is to kind of create a little bit of cohesion, make sure we bring all these players together under a common theme and get them inspired to make them want to win.

"We talk a lot about our history. We talk a lot about the players that came before us. We talk about our role as ambassadors of the game to inspire the next generations.

"I think the Ryder Cup has very deep meaning for a lot of these players, and it brings out the best in them. So that's my job, really, is to kind of create that culture, that environment, where they feel that they can compete at a very high level because of what's at stake."