Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir said it will be a shame if Rohit Sharma isn’t handed the captaincy of the Indian cricket team in limited-overs format.
The Mumbai batsman, who is the vice-captain of the Indian team in white-ball cricket, added another feather to his cap as he guided Mumbai Indians to their fifth IPL title on Tuesday.
Gambhir highlighted Sharma’s stellar record as captain in the IPL and felt it was too good to be ignored.
“If Rohit Sharma doesn’t become India’s captain, it’s India’s loss, not Rohit’s,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
“Yes, a captain is only as good as his team and I completely agree with that, but what are the parameters to judge a captain on who is good and who isn’t? The parameters and benchmark should be the same. Rohit has led his team to five IPL titles,” he added.
Gambhir had raised questions over Virat Kohli’s position as a captain at Royal Challengers Bangalore where he has failed to win the title after eight seasons in charge.
While the former Indian batsman doesn’t Kohli is a ‘poor’ captain, he feels Sharma’s record just stands out in comparison.
“No one is poor. Rohit has shown in white-ball cricket how big the difference is between his and Virat’s captaincy. One player had led his team to five titles, the other hasn’t won yet,” Gambhir said.
“I’m not saying this because Kohli is a poor captain. But he has received the same platform that Rohit has, so you have to judge both of them on the same parameters. Both have been captains in the IPL for the same length of time. I feel Rohit stands out as a leader,” he added.
Despite Gambhir’s suggestion, BCCI is unlikely to look beyond Kohli as India’s captain. The board has rested Rohit Sharma for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia to allow him to recover from a hamstring injury for the Test matches, three of which Kohli is set to miss out on as he will be on paternity leave.
Sharma though starred for Mumbai Indians in a final with a classy knock raising doubts over the true nature of his injury.
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