Rohit Sharma has been leading the Indian cricket team in all formats for almost three years now. Despite some initial challenges, circumstances are aligning favourably for him at the right moment. Currently, India are performing exceptionally well in the World Cup 2023 and is just three wins away from winning the coveted title as they still remain undefeated. The team is playing at its best, overpowering opponents with ease. To highlight their dominance, their last three victories were by significant margins of 100, 302, and 243 runs, respectively.
However, all of this might not have been possible. The former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly disclosed that when Virat Kohli stepped down, Rohit initially wasn't willing to take on the captaincy role in all three formats. However, he eventually had to agree to the request of the former captain.
Kohli, a highly regarded captain for India, initially chose to step down as the T20I captain. However, he was later removed from the ODI captaincy as well. This led to Rohit taking over the limited-overs captaincy, while Kohli continued to lead in Tests, where he had become the country's most successful captain. However, when Kohli surprised everyone by resigning as Test captain in January 2022, the BCCI faced a challenging situation. Sourav initially struggled to persuade Rohit to take on the role, but eventually succeeded in convincing him. Ganguly admitted that after Rohit's denial, he had to literally force him to take up the role.
"Rohit Sharma wasn't keen (on taking up India's captaincy in all three formats). It had gone to a stage where I told him 'you'll have to say yes otherwise I'll make the announcement.' Because he is an outstanding captain. And after Virat Kohli left, he was the best man to lead India. I am not surprised by what I am seeing," Ganguly said in a chat with Kolkata TV.
Before, whenever Kohli took a break, Rohit stepped in as captain and led India to victories in tournaments like the Nidahas Trophy and the Asia Cup in 2018. When Kohli decided to step down as captain, Rohit, with an impressive track record including five IPL titles, was the clear choice. Ganguly mentioned that Rohit hesitated initially due to a hectic schedule at the age of 33, playing continuous cricket. Fortunately, he eventually made the smart and correct decision.
"Lot of cricket; Tests, ODIs, T20, IPL – he was already a captain there, lot of pressure. So he had a lot of his plate. But nothing can be bigger than being an India captain. I am happy that he took it and it makes me glad seeing the results," added Ganguly.
Rohit wasn't the only one unsure about the role. When Ravi Shastri's contract ended, even Rahul Dravid didn't want to become the head coach. Dravid had done exceptionally well with India Under 19, India A, and as the director of the National Cricket Academy. However, the BCCI didn't have many alternatives, and Dravid, understanding the significance of the role for the improvement of Indian cricket, eventually agreed to take it on.
"It's a lot of time on the road. He has a young family, two young kids. Plus, he played cricket all his life. So it's not easy coaching but he agreed thinking about Indian cricket and I wish he does it in the future too. A coach needs to be given time; it isn't magic for a coach to produce instant results in 3-4 months. He needs time to turn things around which he has now, second year in his tenure," Ganguly said as he hailed Dravid.
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