New Delhi: Former India skipper and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar has no doubt in his mind that Rohit Sharma is ‘fully prepared’ to advance Indian cricket as he appointed as the new T20I captain but the former captain also warned him about leadership challenges in international cricket.
Rohit on Tuesday was officially appointed as India’s T20I skipper for the home series against New Zealand, starting on November 17.
Virat Kohli’s tenure as India’s T20I captain came to an end on Monday as India suffered an early exit from T20 World Cup 2021. India hammered Namibia by 9 wickets in their final Super 12.
Terming Rohit’s appointment as T20I skipper, Gavaskar called the event as the new beginning in Indian cricket. “Rohit Sharma is absolutely ready to carry the baton forward. It is a new beginning for Indian T20 cricket under the leadership of Rohit,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to India Today.
Gavaskar, however, said, Rohit’s success as a captain in the IPL does not guarantee him long-term success as India’s T20I skipper. “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.” The former skipper explained.
“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, it doesn’t guarantee success at the international level,” Gavaskar added.
Asked about the captaincy records of Rohit and Kohli, Gavaskar feels that it will be too early to comment on the difference between their captaincy. “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,” said Gavaskar.
Opener KL Rahul has been appointed as the vice-captain of India in T20Is. The opener was one of India’s most consistent performers at the top of the order at the T20 World Cup, in which India failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Gavaskar reckons KL Rahul’s elevation to vice-captaincy shows he’s been looking by the selectors. Rahul, who has also been leading Punjab Kings for the last two seasons in the IPL, as a ‘future leader’.
“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,” Gavaskar concluded.
