Virat Kohli played his last match as T20I skipper against Namibia in T20 World Cup 2021.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar said that Rohit Sharma should take over Indian T20I captaincy from Virat Kohli as the next T20 World Cup is less than a year away and the 'long-term' goal isn't the need of the hour.
Following Team India’s win against Namibia in T20 World Cup 2021, Virat Kohli’s stint as the T20I skipper came to end. The 33-year-old signed off as the second most successful skipper in the shortest format of the game as he led Team India to 32 wins in 50 matches with a win percentage of 64%.
With T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia less than a year away, there are a lot of speculations about who’ll take over from Virat Kohli as a T20I skipper.
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While Rohit Sharma is the front runner to take over the reins with being vice-captain and his successful record as a skipper in IPL, many feel that the likes of KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant should be the next Indian T20I skipper, keeping long-term goals in mind.
Speaking on Sports Today, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar stressed the fact that long-term option would have been the case if the next World Cup was 2-3 years away. He pointed out that with T20 World Cup 2022 less than 12 months away Rohit Sharma is the best man who can take India to an ICC trophy.
"Long term would have been the case if the World Cup was maybe 2-3 years away. But the next World Cup is less than 12 months away so you don't need to look long-term there. Maybe for long term you can look at 2023, but right now you have got to look for the best man who can take India to an ICC trophy and that is Rohit Sharma," Sunil Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar said that Rohit Sharma’s record for Mumbai Indians as a skipper in IPL makes him the obvious choice for the Indian captaincy. He suggested that once World Cup in Australia next year is over, BCCI can then look at another T20 skipper.
"With his record for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he is the obvious choice, so I think he should be given the captaincy and maybe after the next year's World Cup in Australia is done, maybe have a look at another T20 captain. But right now, it is only Rohit Sharma," he said.
Notably, both Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri hinted about Rohit Sharma being the next captain. The Indian vice-captain has also led Mumbai Indians to record five IPL titles and it is expected that he’ll take over the reins from Virat Kohli as T20I skipper.
(Sports Today inputs)