Will Rohit Sharma be appointed as the captain of India in limited-overs format? Will Virat Kohli only lead India in the longest formats of the game? Is Indian cricket also moving towards split captaincy?
Also Read: Some rules need a serious look – Rohit Sharma after World Cup 2019 final
These are the biggest questions prior to the World Cup review meeting as a report in IANS suggests that split captaincy could be on the cards and Rohit Sharma, the present vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is, might be appointed as the full-time captain. Although Virat Kohli will lead in Test cricket.
“This would be the right time for Rohit to take over the mantle of the captaincy in the 50-over format. There has been immense support to the present captain and the management and it is time to plan ahead for the next World Cup and for that the existing ideas and plans need a fresh look. We all know some areas need a relook. Rohit would be the right man for the job,” a functionary was quoted as saying by IANS.
While there is no such word from the bord, spilt captaincy in Indian cricket is something that hasn’t lasted for long. In 2017, MS Dhoni relinquished the captaincy of limited-overs format to give the full-time charge to Kohli.
After giving up the post, he had spoken about it and had said that the split captaincy does not work in Indian cricket. It remains to be seen if the board will take a bold step to remove Kohli as the captain of ODI and T20I squad. The chances of it are minute and he is expected to continue to lead the team across formats.
Under him, India have qualified to the knockouts stages of two ICC tournaments and he will be leading India in the T20 World Cup for the first time next year.
Rohit, as a captain, has done good job in the absence of Kohli but as said, the idea of having split captaincy is not something that would be seen in Indian cricket.
Though Rohit looks set to led Men in Blue on the tour of West Indies as Kohli is expected to be rested for the full tour. Apart from him, Jasprit Bumrah is also expected to be given rest for the upcoming series.
India play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests against West Indies. The selection panel headed by MSK Prasad will be announcing the squad for the tour later this week.