Member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team Gautam Gambhir has shared his views on the recent appointment of Rohit Sharma as the captain in the limited-overs format. Gambhir, Member of Parliament (MP) attended the final of East Delhi Premier League when he spoke exclusively to Sports Tak and reflected on the recent appointment.
“Talking of Virat, he hasn’t done exceptionally well as the skipper of the side. He wasn’t successful in winning an ICC trophy but that doesn’t make him a bad captain. He has done well across all the three formats and has given a good team to Rohit (Sharma), like (MS) Dhoni gave to Virat. I am confident; Rohit will take this team forward in the time to come,” the former left-handed batter said.
Gambhir also reflected on Kohli’s inability to win an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy during his four-year tenure.
“It was a difficult decision; if I was the selector maybe I could have explained you in a better manner. ICC events are always an important tournament for any captain. MS Dhoni’s legacy is defined by the ICC trophies, Virat had the opportunity but he couldn’t take India over the line in ICC tournaments. However, if you look at his achievements like winning on Australian soil, English soil, no one has been able to achieve this since Rahul Dravid's days. So I think you can’t underestimate Virat’s achievement,” Gambhir explained.
Gambhir did elucidate the scenario but it remains to be seen how the team will be performing in future. The two skippers are unlikely to be part of the same squad as Rohit is out of the Test side for the South Africa tour while Kohli is set to miss the three-match ODI series.
India’s tour of South Africa will begin on Boxing Day (December 26) as the first Test match will take place at Centurion.
