Rohit Sharma, Team India’s limited-overs captain has applauded Virat Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket, stating that a batter of his quality is very important to the team. On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors named Rohit Sharma as India’s new ODI captain and Test vice-captain.
Virat Kohli will continue to lead in the longer format of the game-Tests. Earlier, Rohit Sharma had also replaced Virat Kohli as T20I captain after the latter stepped down from the post following the conclusion of India’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign.
Rohit Sharma: A Batsman Of Virat Kohli’s Quality Needed In Squad As An Average Of Over 50 In T20Is Is Crazy And Unreal
Hailing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma asserted on the show “Backstage with Boria” that the former will remain a leader in the team. Virat Kohli, with a stellar 72.65 ODI average and more than 5,000 runs with 21 ODI hundred in 95 matches, will go down as one of the most accomplished record-holders for an Indian captain.
The seasoned opener stated: “A batter of his (Kohli’s) quality is always needed in the squad. To have an average of 50 plus in the T20 format, it is crazy and unreal. Obviously, with the experience… he has batted and bailed India out so many times from difficult situations. The quality and his kind of batsmanship is required. Plus, he is still a leader of the team. All those things put together, you don’t want to miss out. You don’t want to ignore that kind of stuff. His presence is very important to the team.”
Although Virat Kohli had resigned from the T20I captaincy, he was keen to remain a leader in both ODIs and Tests. However, the selectors, while announcing the Test squad for South Africa on Wednesday, also confirmed that Rohit Sharma would lead the team in both ODIs and T20Is henceforth.
Rohit Sharma Assigned ODI Skipper By BCCI Selectors
Virat Kohli has exceptional numbers in the ODIs as captain where he has a win percentage of 70.43 — the most by an Indian who has led the national side in more than 10 matches. Virat Kohli had led Team India in 95 ODI matches and registered victories 65 times.
He is the fourth in the list of most victories by an Indian captain where MS Dhoni leads the tally with 110 wins, followed by Mohammad Azharuddin (90) and Sourav Ganguly (76).
Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India won 15 ODI bilateral series out of 19, which also includes victories in South Africa, Australia, and West Indies. During his ODI captaincy stint, Virat Kohli scored 5449 runs in 95 matches with 21 hundred.
In his maiden assignment as Team India’s full-time T20I skipper, Rohit Sharma captained India to a 3-0 whitewash over New Zealand at home. According to a report, discussions over Rohit Sharma taking complete charge of the white-ball teams from Virat Kohli had been taking place for a while in the BCCI. Apparently, the selectors took the final call on the matter.
A BCCI insider was quoted as saying, “The BCCI wanted absolute clarity between red-ball and white-ball cricket. The BCCI wanted a complete (leadership) separation between the longest format and shorter formats to avoid any confusion. In the end, it was left to the selectors to take a call. They decided to appoint Rohit as new ODI captain.”
Rohit Sharma’s first assignment as full-time ODI skipper of the Indian team will be the three-match series in South Africa, which will be played from January 19 to 23.
Earlier, Virat Kohli also stepped down as skipper of his Indian Premier League franchise- Royal Challengers Bangalore. The IPL 2021 season was his last as RCB skipper where the team was knocked out in the Eliminator.