Earlier this week, the BCCI confirmed the appointment of Rohit Sharma as India’s full-time white-ball captain. The Indian opener was named the ODI skipper on Wednesday, having already been appointed the T20I captain last month. In addition, Rohit was also named the vice-captain of the Indian Test team, as he replaces Ajinkya Rahane in the role.
Virat Kohli, the former limited-overs captain, had earlier stepped down from his leadership role in T20Is but had insisted in his statement that he would be looking forward to captaining the side in ODIs and Tests. Hence, the announcement from the BCCI came as a surprise to many, with Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma insisting on more “transparency” in the board’s decision-making process.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, meanwhile, had revealed that the board had requested Kohli to not step down as T20I captain ahead of the World Cup, and that the selectors weren’t comfortable with having two different captains for ODIs and T20Is.
In another interview, Ganguly revealed the reasons behind opting for Rohit Sharma in the leadership role. The BCCI President – a former Indian captain himself – said that Rohit has excellent credentials as captain in the limited-overs formats.
“Of course. That’s why the selectors have backed him (on whether he is hopeful of Rohit leading the squad successfully). He will find a way to do well and I hope he does,” Ganguly told News18.
“His record for IPL (Mumbai Indians) is phenomenal… winning five titles. He captained India in Asia Cup a couple of years ago which India won as well, and India won without Kohli. To win a title without him spoke volumes of that team’s strength. So he has had success in big tournaments. He has a good team. So hopefully they can all turn it around,” the BCCI President said.
Rohit is likely to begin his captaincy tenure in ODIs in January, when the side takes on South Africa in a three-match away series.
