Deep Dasgupta feels that the debate surrounding change in Indian skippers may finally come to an end and that the solution will arise after the conclusion of the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Has Come Under The Scanner After WTC Final Loss
Time and time again, due to various results across formats, Virat Kohli’s captaincy has come under the scanner and every time it happens, the cricket fraternity wonders if it would be better for someone to take over the captaincy mantle in the T20I format for India. Joining the discussion is former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta.
Now that India has lost the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand by eight wickets, the debate about Virat Kohli’s ability to lead the team in crucial situations has picked up again. With the T20 World Cup in near sight, questions are being asked if India should employ a different captain in the shortest format, with Virat Kohli’s inability to win an ICC trophy since taking over the captaincy.
The 32-year-old is yet to win an ICC title as skipper. With him at the helm, India earlier lost the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2019 World Cup semi-final. Rohit Sharma captained India in 10 ODIs. India won 8 and lost 2 of those ODIs. In 19 T20Is which he led, India lost 4 and won the remaining 15 T20Is.
While Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians as the most successful franchise winning 5 titles under him, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore is yet to win a title despite finishing in the playoffs several times. Rohit Sharma has also inspired the team in Virat Kohli’s absence to memorable triumphs in Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy, besides leading Mumbai Indians to an unprecedented five IPL titles.
Deep Dasgupta: Rohit Sharma Is Definitely A Captaincy Option But Change In Captaincy Would Depend On T20I World Cup
Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta feels that the debate surrounding captaincy may finally come to an end after the forthcoming T20 World Cup. Deep Dasgupta added that according to him, opener Rohit Sharma is the frontrunner to replace Virat Kohli as T20I captain. Deep Dasgupta argued that it would be ‘unfair’ on everyone to make the change now while answering one such question on his YouTube channel,
“I won’t say ‘high time’ but I would say Rohit is definitely an option. I think a lot will depend on the T20 World Cup because as of now it’s very difficult. You have just 3-4 months ahead of you, you will change the captaincy, which will mean that the team will have to align with the style of the new captain.”
“Even though Rohit has led the side before, there’s a difference between a stand-in skipper and a full-time skipper because as the former you don’t want to make too many changes. When you are a full-time skipper, obviously, you want to make changes because you want to run the team your way,” Deep Dasgupta said.
The 44-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator further stated: “I believe it will be unfair on Rohit, the team, and also Virat now just 3-4 months before [the World Cup]. But I think the T20 World Cup will be very, very important in that aspect, because if something goes wrong there then Rohit is one of the main contenders for that spot.”
Whether the change occurs or not remains to be seen. Even though there might not be any significant changes as of now, Rohit Sharma does have the credentials to be given a chance, having won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title five times as opposed to no T20 World Cup or IPL titles won by Virat Kohli.