Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had no doubts in his mind that Rohit Sharma is ‘absolutely ready’ to take Indian cricket forward as its new T20I captain but the former captain also cautioned the opener about the challenges of leading in international cricket. Rohit on Tuesday was officially appointed as India’s T20I skipper for the home series against New Zealand, starting on November 17. Virat Kohli, who captained in his last T20I in the World Cup, was rested. So were the likes of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
Gavaskar termed the events as the new beginning in Indian cricket.
“Rohit Sharma is absolutely ready to carry the baton forward. It is a new beginning for Indian T20 cricket under the leadership of Rohit,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Rohit, India’s vice captain in white-ball cricket during Kohli’s tenure, was the frontrunner to take over reigns in T20Is. The dashing opener has a stunning CV to back his claim. With five IPL titles, Rohit is the most successful captain in the league. Even when leading in India in Kohli’s absence, Rohit has done a good job. Under his captaincy, India have won multi-team tournaments like the Nidahas Trophy and the Asia Cup in 2018.
Gavaskar, however, said, Rohit’s success as a captain in the IPL does not guarantee him long-term success as India skipper.
“Generally, a captain is only as good as his team. I know Rohit has won five IPL trophies under his captaincy but leading a national team is completely different to leading your state team or franchise.
“Just like a good first-class cricketer, he doesn’t necessarily turn out to be a great international cricketer. It goes to the captains also, no matter how many titles you have won for your state team or franchise, it doesn’t guarantee success at the international level,” Gavaskar said.
In another major development, KL Rahul was appointed as the vice-captain of India in T20Is. The opener was one of India’s most consistent performers at the top of the order in an otherwise disappointing campaign at the T20 World Cup, in which India failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Gavaskar said selectors are probably looking at Rahul, who has been leading Punjab Kings for the last two seasons in the IPL, as a ‘future leader’.
“KL Rahul has been marked as a future leader by the selectors. He has been the captain of Punjab Kings in the IPL and, above all, he plays in all 3 formats for India. I think Rahul playing in all three formats is the reason why he has been elevated to the role of vice-captain,” Gavaskar said.
