Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim urged Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to leave all matters aside and work together for the betterment of Indian cricket. Also, Karim expected that things would improve as time progresses even if there are some regrets on Kohli’s side.
Notable that when Kohli resigned from the T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup, he clearly mentioned that he would like to continue as captain in ODIs and Tests but first he was sacked as the ODI captain right before the South Africa tour then after the test series loss against South Africa, he decided to step down from the captaincy in the longest format as well.
Rohit Sharma has been appointed the white-ball captain for India
Former BCCI selector Saba Karim believes that Virat needs to leave the captaincy behind and should look forward to contributing to the team’s success.
“Virat Kohli will need to make extra efforts. He must be having some regrets, I am sure, but time heals wounds. I think Virat is experienced enough and mature to deal with it. We should see it on the ground soon,” Saba Karim spoke on the Khelneeti podcast.
He also suggested that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid should regularly take the inputs from Virat Kohli so that he would feel that he still belongs in the leadership group. He also opined that both Kohli and Rohit must see the larger picture irrespective of their differences.
“Being captain, Rohit Sharma will need to take that extra step. He and Rahul Dravid will need to explain to Kohli the thought process and culture they want to bring in. They can seek inputs from Kohli over the same. At the end of the day, both Kohli and Rohit need to look at the big picture and think about the ultimate team goals.” he said.
“If both players are on the same page, things will become very easy. If issues crop up between them, the dressing room environment will go down quickly. So it is very important for both of them to work together,” Karim added.
Rohit Sharma missed the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury but now he will be back leading the side in the series against West Indies starting on February 6.