After the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021, Virat Kohli relinquished his role as India’s T20I captain. However, the selectors decided to remove him from the ODI captaincy as well, stating their preference for a single leader for both white-ball formats. In January 2022, Kohli also stepped down from the Test captaincy following the team’s series loss in South Africa.
Consequently, Rohit Sharma was appointed as the captain across all formats for the Indian cricket team. Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly recently expressed his opinion that Rohit was the ideal candidate to succeed Virat as the skipper.
Ganguly’s statement came in the wake of India’s resounding 209-run defeat under Rohit’s leadership against Australia in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 held at The Oval. While Rohit has faced criticism on social media following the WTC final loss, Ganguly believes that he remains the best choice to lead India at the highest level.
ALSO READ: Michael Vaughan Calls For Stricter Penalties for Slow Over-Rate In Test Cricket
Ganguly supported the Mumbai Indians skipper, emphasizing that winning the IPL is more challenging than winning the World Cup. Notably, Rohit has guided MI to five IPL titles thus far.
Former Indian skipper said, “The selectors needed a captain after Virat’s departure, and at that time, Rohit was the best option available. He has won five IPL trophies and has performed admirably on the international stage, winning the Asia Cup as well. India also reached the final of the Test championship, even though we fell short.”
“Even two years ago, we lost the WTC final. We reached the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. Therefore, the selectors chose the individual who was best suited for the job,” Sourav Ganguly expressed in an interview with Aaj Tak.
The former India captain further elaborated that while it takes 4-5 matches to progress to the knockout stage of the World Cup, teams must endure 17 matches to secure the IPL title.
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly Expresses Disappointment Over India’s WTC Final Performance
“I have complete faith in Rohit. He, along with MS Dhoni, has clinched five IPL titles. Winning the IPL is no mean feat as it is an arduous tournament. It is more difficult to win the IPL than to win a World Cup because, after 14 matches, you enter the playoffs. In the World Cup, it only takes 4-5 matches to reach the semifinals. In the IPL, you need to play 17 matches to become champions,” he added.
