Vengsarkar also said captaincy did not affect Virat Kohli's batting.
With the BCCI selectors set to announce a new Test captain after Virat Kohli's sudden and shocking resignation from the post, Dilip Vengsarkar has suggested a few names for the latter’s replacement.
The former India captain and national chief selector backed India’s current limited-overs captain, Rohit Sharma, to take over as India’s Test captain.
He also suggested another name, R Ashwin, as a stop-gap replacement as India’s new Test skipper, while warning the BCCI should go for a stop-gap arrangement for a year or so in order to groom a future captain.
Vengsarkar told Gulf News: “If you ask me, it may be a practical idea to have a stop-gap arrangement with Rohit Sharma or even Ravi Ashwin for a year or so and groom someone in the meanwhile.”
The 65-year-old also recalled the dilemma faced by his selection committee when Rahul Dravid left India’s captaincy.
He recalled: “Interestingly, my committee was faced with a similar situation when Rahul Dravid stepped down from captaincy and we had a demanding Australia tour round the corner. Some felt that MS Dhoni, who was leading in the shorter format, be promoted but we went ahead with Anil Kumble who did a fantastic job.”
Meanwhile, Vengsarkar also stressed that captaincy did not affect Kohli's batting while saying Indians are "often obsessed with statistics", which leads to unnecessary criticism of the batter.
He further explained, “I don't agree with this for I feel that Kohli has had a dream run for nearly five years as a batsman and captain. For all the talk about his current lean phase, I feel that Indians are often obsessed with statistics and that's something that I don't believe in.”
The former skipper also praised Kohli’s resilience, commitment, and intent during the recent Test series despite the tourists losing the series to South Africa 2-1.
Vengsarkar signed off by saying, “Yes, it's true that he hasn't got a century over the last few years but the way he applied himself, adapted to the movement and bounce of the ball on the South African wickets was exemplary. At Newlands, the way he held himself back and built the innings after the fall of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to score 79 off 160-odd balls - every run continued on those wickets. His commitment and intent was fantastic.”