Indian cricket team may have slipped at the final hurdle during the recent ODI World Cup but that hasn’t diminished their sparkling show throughout the tournament. In a stunning display, the Rohit Sharma-led side razed through their opponents for 10 wins in a row to storm into the title clash where they lost to Australia.
Rohit was in prime form with the bat as he provided aggressive starts to set the tone, allowing the batters that followed to build on the solid platform he laid.
Rohit was praised for his captaincy too and thanks to that, it has left the Indian team management with a happy headache: Should he also be considered for the role of captaincy at the next year’s T20 World Cup?
Rohit hasn’t played T20I cricket for India since the 2022 World Cup but has been a regular feature in Tests and ODIs. He also led Mumbai Indians into the IPL 2023 playoffs earlier this year.
In Rohit’s absence, Hardik Pandya has been leading the T20I team as the first-choice captain.
India batting legend Gautam Gambhir has praised his former teammate for the manner in which he has led India and his IPL franchise MI whom he has captained to five titles.
“In captaincy, Rohit has done a very, very good job,” Gambhir told ANI. “It is not easy to win five IPL trophies. The way India have dominated in the last 50-over World Cup and I said that before the World Cup final as well…I said that irrespective of the result, whatever the result is after the World Cup, India played like a champion side. One bad game doesn’t make Rohit Sharma or this side a bad team. Ten games and the way they have dominated the whole tournament. Just because of one bad game if you call Rohit Sharma a bad captain, this is not fair.”
On the question over whether Rohit should be handed over the reins for the T20 World Cup, Gambhir has a clear cut response: Give Rohit the captaincy if he’s in good form.
“If Rohit Sharma is in good form, he should be leading in the T20 World Cup or if he is not in good form, whoever is not in good form should not be picked for the T20 World Cup. Captaincy is a responsibility. First, you get yourself selected as a player and then you’re made captain. A captain should have a permanent position in the playing eleven, and the permanent place depends on the form,” he said.
“Age should not be the criteria why a player should be dropped or picked, only form should be the criteria. Retirement is also an individual decision, no one can force him (a player) to retire, selectors have all the right not to pick them but ultimately one cannot take a bat or ball away from a player. Form is the topmost priority,” he added.
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