Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has said India’s white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma should ideally be leading the side in next month’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, though he is widely tipped to take over the reins in the format from Virat Kohli after the showpiece event.
And, Gavaskar has added, Rohit should remain captain in the next T20 World Cup as well, scheduled to be held next year in Australia.
Virat has already announced that he will step down from the T20 leadership after the World Cup in the UAE. Rohit has been Kohli’s white-ball deputy since 2017.
The BCCI is yet to decide on the leadership issue.
“I think (of) Rohit Sharma (as captain) for the next two World Cups,” Gavaskar said on the Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’.
“You could say they (World Cups) are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don’t want to change too many captains at this particular stage.
“Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups,” Gavaskar said.
Rohit led India to victory in the Nidahas Trophy T20 tournament and Asia Cup in 2018, which was played in the ODI format. He is also the most successful captain in IPL history with five trophies to his name for Mumbai Indians.
The legendary opener feels Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul and Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant are the two best options for the vice-captain’s post.
“... And then, I’m looking at KL Rahul for vice-captain. I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind because he has been really impressive in the way he has led a star-studded Delhi team and the bowling changes that he has been making in the T20 format, using (Anrich) Nortje and (Kagiso) Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street-smart captain.
“You always want a street-smart captain who can read situations and act immediately. So yes, Rahul and Pant are the two guys I would look at as vice-captains.”
Pant, who was named the Capitals captain for the IPL 2021 season after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was injured, has led his team to eight wins in 11 matches so far.
Earlier this month, Kohli announced that he will step down from the T20 captaincy keeping in mind his “immense workload over the last 8-9 years”. “Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI Cricket,” Kohli had said in a statement on social media.
India were officially scheduled to host the T20 World Cup but it was shifted to the UAE and Oman because of the pandemic.
