In light of the India captaincy debate, which has already seen umpteen bombing their views on it, the former coach Ravi Shastri is the latest to add his say on the heated argument.
While Virat Kohli remains skipper in the longest format of the game, star opener, Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the T20 and ODI captain.
Shastri has seconded the idea of splitting of captaincy in the red and white ball formats, saying it is the right way to go.
"I think it's the right way to go. This could be a blessing in disguise for Virat, and for Rohit, because I don't think in this era if the bubble life exists for another year or so, one guy can handle all, that is not easy at all," Shastri said on Star Sports show 'BOLD & BRAVE: THE SHASTRI WAY'.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had earlier said that they can’t have two white-ball captains in two white-ball formats.
“We had requested Virat not to step down as T20 captain but he didn't want to continue as captain. So, the selectors felt that they cannot have two white ball captains in two white-ball formats. That's too much of leadership," Ganguly had said.
Kohli, during his pre-departure press conference ahead of the tour of South Africa, said that he was never asked to stay on as T20 skipper when he made his intent clear on relinquishing the post.
Shastri, who has served Indian cricket in various capacities, also said he wanted to establish Rohit as an opener.
"It was very clear in my mind that I wanted to do it. I thought if I can't get the best out of him as a batsman then I am a failure as a coach because there is too much talent there," said Shastri.
Meanwhile, the 59-year-old, who has played 80 Tests, also spoke about his relationship with Kohli, who was also the ODI and T20 skipper when Shastri was the head coach for a considerable amount of time.
"We're both pretty aggressive, we want to play to win. We realized very quickly that to win you need to take 20 wickets, deciding to play aggressive and fearless cricket.
"It meant at times you would lose games but once you got one across the line, then it's infectious," added Shastri.
In a four-year span of Shastri’s regime as India head coach, India made it to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in England and reached the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup.
