Rohit Sharma Ideal Option To Lead India In Limited Overs If Kohli Rests, Says Former Selector

Dec 12, 2017 at 12:07 PM

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Rohit Sharma Ideal Option To Lead India In Limited Overs If Kohli Rests, Says Former Selector

The Story

A debate over the prospective name to lead the team for the limited overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour, which comprises of 5 ODIs and a T20I, kicked off after rumours about Virat Kohli opting to rest came to light.

The unconfirmed news created a very good case for cricket fans to mull over the possibility of Rohit Sharma, one of the players, being considered as a potential leader.

The speculations were, however, put to rest as Virat Kohli confirmed that he will be seeking no time off the field and despite a gruelling 2016 season where he played 42 international matches apart from the IPL, ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ongoing Test series.

However, regardless of the clarity provided by Kohli, it still seemed valid to discuss the case of Rohit Sharma – The limited overs captain.

Syed Kirmani Backs Sharma

Former India selector and Syed Kirmani, in an interview with Sportswallah, termed Rohit Sharma as the best candidate to replace Kohli as the limited overs skipper should Kohli opt to rest in future. But, he also asserted that it is usually the vice-captain who take up the mantle.

“In limited-overs, Rohit Sharma has been the captain. He has been captaining the Mumbai Indians. So, he has experience. So, I suppose will be the best bet,” said the former Indian wicketkeeper.

Speaking about whether Kohli should take rest of not, Kirmani said:

“It entirely depends on an individual. It is the decision of an individual and when he is the captain, he can take any calls from his side. If he is feeling too tired and feels there is too much of cricket and he feels he needs the rest, might as well give him rest. It gives an opportunity to the vice-captain to get experience as a captain. Whoever is the vice-captain (Ajinkya Rahane) is also been playing too much of cricket.”

India currently boasts an envious bench strength with many players sitting on the sidelines, totally capable of creating an impact in the starting XI. But when there are too many probable options, there is often confusion about who should be tried first for the long run.

Talking about the current set of youngsters, Kirmani said, “At the moment you should not push the youngsters at the international level, depriving the seniors. Give them the time to groom.”

“No doubt Rishabh Pant has the talent alright. He has been lucky, whenever he has been given a chance, he has proved himself and that gives him the confidence. But that does not mean he should be compared with a senior’s experience. They should be groomed, blended and then brought into the Indian team – looking into their consistency in the domestic level and other tournaments, which they play for their respective states,” he further added.

Yuvi past his prime

Kirmani also stated that age is finally affecting the quality of Yuvraj Singh.

With eyes on the 2019 World Cup, there have been arguments over his place in the Indian team. It has been debated that Yuvi has occupied the place of a youngster or more worthy player who can be used in the longer run.

“Yuvraj did not show that kind of consistency, which is expected of him. It is quite natural when you catch on with the age. Automatically your reflexes, your agility, your coordination, your mind and body coordination, all these things due to wear and tear starts receding and it was seen,” said the 67-year old.

“An equally competent left-hander, like Rishabh Pant, Suresh Raina or even Gautam Gambhir can be considered as they have the experience. Because these youngsters have plenty of time. That’s the way I would look at it as a selector,” Kirmani, a veteran of 88 Tests and 49 ODIs concluded.

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