The West Indies tour will kickstart with the ODIs from February 6th.
Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar has identified Rohit Sharma’s toughest hurdle as he prepares to lead India in the ODI series against the West Indies from February 6th.
The BCCI chose Rohit as India’s new white-ball captain in November last year, replacing Virat Kohli. He had, however, missed not just his first assignment as the new Test vice-captain, the tour of South Africa, but also the ODI series as well, after failing to recuperate from a hamstring injury.
With Rohit suffering from fitness issues recently, Agarkar claimed in his conversation with Star Sports, that Rohit’s toughest task would be to stay fit, like his predecessors MS Dhoni and Kohli, who seldom missed matches owing to injury worries.
"I believe his [Rohit's] biggest challenge will be to remain fit. We have seen of late that he has got a few injuries. The captains who were there before him - Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni - their strength was that both were extremely fit and they missed matches very few times in their careers," he said.
Rohit will be tasked with assembling the ultimate Indian white-ball squad for the two upcoming World Cups, the T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ODI World Cup in 2023, if he stays fit, according to the veteran Indian bowler.
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"So that will be a challenge because when you play all the games, it will be easier for you to build the team. You will be able to see closely how each player reacts in a given situation. So that will be the key for him because he has the leadership qualities and we have seen that as well," he added.
Agarkar also described Rohit's captaincy approach as "laidback" compared to Kohli's, before emphasizing that the senior Indian opener's responsibilities as a full-time captain will be different from his previous experiences as a stand-in skipper.
"Whatever we have seen of him, he will definitely be slightly laidback than Virat Kohli. But we have seen his leadership qualities, not just in franchise cricket. He has reached a stage of his career where he is extremely experienced, played a lot of matches in international cricket, so he has the experience of that.
"Generally, there is a feel for the game required for a captain, it seems he has that. The responsibility will be different now because when you are a stand-in captain, you are there for a series or few matches but here you have to prepare a team for the next World Cup - whether it is T20 or 50-over."
The West Indies series, which begins on February 6, will be Rohit's maiden assignment as an ODI captain, followed by a three-match T20I series in Kolkata.
(Star Sports inputs)