Former India chairman of selectors Kiran More believes there will come a time when India captain Virat Kohli hands over the captaincy of at least one format to current white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma.
When will Kohli handover the Captaincy to Rohit
The former India wicketkeeper-batsman said Kohli has learned a lot from legendary India cricketer MS Dhoni and like the double World Cup-winning skipper, he too might ease out the pressure by letting Rohit lead at least in one format.
“I think the vision of the board drives these things. I believe Rohit Sharma will get a chance soon. Virat Kohli is a shrewd captain who played under MS Dhoni. How long he wants to captain the ODIs and T20s, he will also think. You will learn a lot more about these decisions after the England tour,” More told India TV.
When asked whether split captaincy can work in India, More said captaining in three formats and also performing in them to full potential can become very tiring after a point of time.
“It [Split captaincy] can work in India. What the senior players think about the Indian team’s future is very important. With Virat Kohli, captaining three teams isn’t that easy plus he has to perform as well. And I give him the credit for it because performing in every format while captaining and winning… but, I think there will be a time when Virat Kohli will say ‘Now it’s enough, let Rohit lead the side’,” said More.
Lauding Kohli as one of the best batsmen going around, More said split captaincy can be healthy for the Indian side.
“That will be very healthy actually. And this is a huge message for Indian cricket which will go on and on for generations. It’s about respect that if Rohit Sharma is doing good he should be given a chance.
I think Virat Kohli will set a great precedent if he does that. The future will hinge on his decision – how much rest he wants, if he wants to captain the Test team or the ODI team. He’s a human too, his mind gets tired also,” he concluded.
Rohit Sharma record as India Captain
- ODI – 10 Matches – 8 Won & Lost only 2. This includes a win in the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2018.
- T20 – 19 Matches – 14 Won Lost only 5. These include victories in the Nidahas tri-series in Sri Lanka in 2018 and a 3-0 series sweep against West Indies at home in 2018.
