Rohit Sharma, the 34-year-old batsman who had missed the previous South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, will be making a return to red-ball cricket after over five months with the Sri Lanka Test series.
India eased to a 17-run victory over the West Indies in the third and final T20I of the series on Sunday, which marked the start of Rohit Sharma’s spell as the full-time captain of the team.
The leadership bunch has witnessed a significant change in the past few months with Rohit Sharma taking over the mantle of captaincy from Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma has plenty of experience under his belt, having led Mumbai Indians to five IPL trophies.
Rohit Sharma Is Undoubtedly A Quality Captain: Dinesh Karthik
A proven performer in the lucrative T20 league IPL, Rohit Sharma will be eager to leave his mark in Indian colours as well. Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik also believes Rohit Sharma has a great understanding of the game, which was evident in the Indian team’s home assignment against the West Indies.
But Dinesh Karthik also underlined Rohit Sharma’s relationship with injuries that makes it difficult for the elegant batter to lead the team in all three formats.
“I think Rohit is very astute tactically. And the amount of cricket he will play will define how consistently he can play all three formats. He is at a place where there is a lot of cricket to be played throughout the year. That’s going to be a big challenge for someone like Rohit.
“He is a quality captain… there’s no doubt about that. When it comes to tactics, we saw in this game (third T20I against West Indies) that he is well ahead of the game,” Karthik said.
“He rotated bowlers and brought Avesh (Khan) at the right time. Also, Shardul (Thakur) gave away 18 runs in his first over but finished with figures of 4/33.
“He (Rohit) is somebody who understands bowlers and what to do with them. With Rohit Sharma, the question is always going to be: ‘How much cricket is he going to play?’,” he further added.
Rohit Sharma on Saturday was named the all-format skipper following the resignation of Virat Kohli as captain in the longest format last month.
Rohit Sharma’s full-time tenure as India’s limited-overs skipper has got off to a dream start as the Men In Blue registered a second straight T20I series whitewash with a 17-run triumph against the West Indies in the third game at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday, February 20.
By the virtue of this win, the Indian team registered a third consecutive home bilateral limited-overs series whitewash as well under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
Rohit Sharma Will Be The Test Captain When He Is Fit And Available And Will Be Given Rest When He Wants To: Chetan Sharma
Chief selector Chetan Sharma insisted that Rohit Sharma will lead the Test team whenever he is fit and is not recommended for rest by the medical staff.
“Rohit was a clear choice of ours, we are very happy with naming him as captain. We will groom future captains under him, let’s hope everything goes right and if things pan out how we want them to, it will be really good,” said Sharma on Rohit’s appointment as the Test skipper.
“If Rohit keeps leading for a long time, then it would be really good for us. But no one can predict it, as long as Rohit is available and fit, he will be the Test captain. When he wants to rest, we will give him the rest,” he added.
The 34-year-old Rohit Sharma, who had missed the previous South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, will be making a return to Tests after over five months. His last appearance in red-ball cricket was against England back in September last year.
India’s next assignment will be against Sri Lanka. The three-match T20I contest begins Thursday, which will be followed by a two-match Test series.
Rohit Sharma has begun well as India’s full-time captain with 3-0 wins over New Zealand in T20Is and West Indies in both ODIs and T20Is. He will be in charge of the Test team for the first time when India face Sri Lanka in a 2-match series in March.