Saba Karim said India hasn't groomed any cricketer for the Test captaincy.
With the Indian selectors and BCCI searching for a suitable candidate for Team India’s Test captaincy, former Indian cricketer and BCCI official, Saba Karim, has made a bold statement regarding the captaincy choices.
While Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant’s names have been doing the rounds for the Indian cricket team’s Test captaincy, Karim believes the current white-ball captain’s appointment will be a short-term arrangement, and it won’t be ideal as India can’t afford a captain who gets injured at the start of a Test series.
However, he further admitted that Rohit is the only option to replace Virat Kohli as the next Indian Test captain because neither Rahul nor Pant have been groomed for the leadership role.
Karim said on the Khelneeti podcast: “Even if Rohit Sharma is appointed captain in all three formats, it will be a short-term assignment. 2023 is a very important year for Indian cricket. We have the 50-over World Cup and the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle will also end.”
He added, “They need to look at this phase first. They need to groom someone who plays all three formats. Right now, Rohit is the only option because no one like a KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant has been groomed.”
Meanwhile, Rohit has already proved his captaincy expertise while leading India in white-ball cricket and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but the former India wicketkeeper-batter believes his fitness could be a roadblock to his captaincy journey. He recently missed the entire South Africa tour due to a left hamstring injury.
Karim further explained, “He has earned that respect from his performances. His presence and work ethic is commanding. The England Test series was a challenge for Rohit but he conquered that as well. Keeping all this aside, the biggest challenge for Rohit is whether he is fit.”
He signed off by saying, “Leaving alone leading, even playing all three formats is a huge task for him. He has been injured multiple times and even now he is returning from rehab. The physio, trainers and everyone involved with his fitness needs to be consulted before making such a big decision. We cannot have a captain who gets injured at the start of a Test series.”