The growing call for an ICC trophy had prompted the national selectors and the Board to replace Virat Kohli as captain in November 2021.
India had won the Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and has achieved no success since. Rohit Sharma did well in his capacity as interim Team India captain, winning the Asia Cup in 2018, and also for IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, having won the title five times.
The loss to New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship final (WTC) in June 2021 was followed by another debacle in the World T20 in the UAE. It was felt Kohli had lost his edge as captain and didn’t possess the “captain’s luck”.
Rohit was supposed to bring in a change of fortunes, especially with an ICC tournament guaranteed every year according to the new Future Tours Programme. The T20 World Cup in Australia last October was supposed to be a momentous occasion. Having shown much promise in the early stages, India failed to click in the semi-final.
If that was an anomaly in the uncertain world of T20 cricket, the WTC final against Australia at The Oval, beginning on Wednesday, will be the big test for both Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid.
Virat Kohli is in conversation with India head coach Rahul Dravid at the Arundel Cricket Club during training. Twitter
Rohit has had enough time to settle into his role and his success on home soil in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will count very little.
The conditions will be vastly different for both teams which could work in India’s favour.
They won’t have to face the challenges of a James Anderson or a Stuart Broad who excel in English conditions that afford swing but will come up against Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc who concentrate on hitting the deck.
It will be a matter of how quickly the batters can adjust to the changing lengths. Having been fed on T20 cricket for close to two months in the IPL, they will now have to concentrate on leaving the deliveries. Except for Cheteshwar Pujara, none have had much time with the red Dukes ball.
The team selection will also be vital considering that Kohli and Ravi Shastri had botched up by playing two spinners against the Black Caps in cold and blustery Southampton last time.
Known to be a perfect team-man, Rohit has proved to be inspirational with his tactics and performance. He knows any reversal will create immense pressure on him during the 50-over World Cup at home. There will be much introspection which could lead to a lot of talk about form and strategy.
Rohit’s leadership will not face any threat till the World Cup irrespective of the outcome at The Oval. However, both he and Dravid will be subject to much scrutiny in case of failure.
He also knows that success could place him alongside Ajit Wadekar and Kapil Dev in terms of achievements on English soil. But a wrong step can also make the road ahead for him tougher.
