On Tuesday, Rohit Sharma was officially appointed as India’s new captain in T20Is, replacing Virat Kohli, for the three-match series against New Zealand starting November 17 in Jaipur. Rohit’s appointment was a formality and KL Rahul will be his new deputy in the shortest format. Legendary Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar on India Today said that KL Rahul’s elevation to vice-captaincy shows he’s been marked as a future leader by the selectors.
During a chat on India Today, Sunil Gavaskar said, “KL Rahul has been marked as a future leader by the selectors. He has been the captain of Punjab Kings in the IPL and, above all, he plays in all 3 formats for India. I think Rahul playing in all three formats is the reason why he has been elevated to the role of vice-captain.”
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Virat Kohli’s tenure as India’s T20I captain ended on Monday as India suffered an early exit from T20 World Cup 2021. Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma has enough experience to lead a team and he is absolutely ready to be Kohli’s successor.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “Rohit Sharma is absolutely ready to carry the baton forward. It is a new beginning for Indian T20 cricket under the leadership of Rohit. Generally, a captain is only as good as his team. I know Rohit has won five IPL trophies under his captaincy, but leading a national team is completely different to leading your state team or franchise.”
He further added, “Just like a good first-class cricketer, he doesn’t necessarily turn out to be a great international cricketer. It goes to the captains also, no matter how many titles you have won for your state team or franchise, but it doesn’t guarantee success at the international level.”
Former Indian skipper reckons that it will be too early to comment on the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
Elaborating the same, Sunil Gavaskar said, “It is difficult to say at present. We can decide the difference in the captaincy only after a few games. But certainly, there will be a different approach from Rohit Sharma. He can now put his own ideas into the play.”
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The new-look team also has the IPL’s highest run-getter, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and top wicket-taker Harshal Patel in the squad of 16, along with Venkatesh Iyer, who is seen as a potential all-around replacement for the injury-ravaged Hardik Pandya.
