With Virat Kohli stepping down as captain of India's T20 side, the case for Rohit Sharma taking up the top job is only becoming stronger. And now, none other than Sunil Gavaskar has thrown his weight behind Hitman.

On a Star Sports show named Cricket Connected, the orignal little master said, "Definitely, Rohit Sharma for the next World Cup. With World Cups back-to-back, you don't want too many changes in the captaincy."

So who would be Rohit's deputy according to Gavaskar? "I am looking at KL Rahul as the vice-captain of the Indian team. I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind," he said.

Calling Pant a street smart skipper, Gavaskar said, "The way he led a star-studded Delhi Team, the bowling changes he is making in T20 format particularly using Nortje and Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street smart captain."

Earlier this month, Kohli announced he will step down as India's T20 skipper after the T20 World Cup in UAE but will continue to lead the side in ODIs and Test cricket, a decision that paves the way for Rohit Sharma to captain in the shortest format.

"I've decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October," the 32-year-old Kohli, who is here to compete in the IPL that resumes on Sunday, said in a statement posted on his Twitter page.

"Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket," Kohli explained.