On Wednesday (December 8) the Board of control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Rohit Sharma will take over as the ODI captain of the Indian cricket team. The BCCI confirmed that Virat Kohli will no longer be leading the side and is sacked from his duties from the limited-overs format. Rohit will officially take charge of the team in the upcoming South Africa tour. Former India coach Ravi Shastri in a recent interview shed light on Rohit Sharma as captain of the team.
“Rohit is not overawed; he always does what is best for the team. He marshals all the resources of the team unlike, let’s say, in football. We are two people with a similar mindset. We have a similar wavelength. In 2014, when I first came in, there was only one big player – MS Dhoni. Who else was there? Who was superstar material? Virat, and maybe Rohit Sharma, in white-ball cricket,” Shastri told The Week.
He further added, “To see these two guys come through and become great players in red- and white-ball cricket, to have a great fast-bowling attack, to beat Australia in their backyard – there have been so many firsts with this team. It is overwhelming.”
Shastri will have fond memories of Rohit’s captaincy as the duo combined to win the 2018 Asia Cup as Rohit was the man in charge in Kohli’s absence. Shastri most recently left his role as coach of the Indian team alongside Kohli who relinquished his T20I captaincy.
The former coach had already suggested that the Delhi-born player should step away from the leadership role to focus on his batting. The 33-year-old has not hit a century in any format in two years. Moreover, he has an ordinary average of below 30 in Test cricket this calendar year. As the team travels to South Africa later this month, Kohli will have a chance to regain his form.
