India's loss if Rohit doesn't become white-ball captain: Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes it will Indian cricket's "misfortune" if Rohit doesn't become the captain in limited-overs cricket. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo's T20 Time Out, Gambhir said Team India will be at loss with this. His statement comes after Rohit led Mumbai Indians to a fifth IPL title as they beat Delhi Capitals in the final. Here is more on the same.
Here is what Gambhir said. "If Rohit Sharma doesn't become India's captain, it's their loss, not Rohit's," Gambhir said. "Yes, a captain is only as good as his team, 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."
Besides bringing laurels in the IPL, captain Rohit has also scaled new heights on the international front. Team India won the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in his leadership, followed by series victories against West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand. Rohit also helped India to win the Asia Cup title. Under him, India have won 23 of 29 internationals, losing only six.
"We keep saying MS Dhoni is India's most successful captain. Why? Because he has won two World Cups and three IPL. Rohit has won five IPL titles. Going forward, it'll be a shame if he doesn't get India's white-ball or just T20 captaincy," Gambhir stated.
Gambhir recently took a dig at Virat Kohli after RCB lost to SRH in the Eliminator. Now, considering Rohit's success in the IPL, he is vouching for split-captaincy. "They can also consider split-captaincy. One player has five titles, the other hasn't won yet. You have to judge both on the same parameters. I feel Rohit stands out as a leader," added Gambhir.
India's experiment of appointing two captains has turned out to be fruitful in past. MS Dhoni handed over the reins in Test cricket to Kohli after retiring from the format in 2014/15. However, the former captain continued to lead in ODIs and T20Is until 2017. During the period, India won 14 Tests, 13 ODIs and 8 T20Is, competing in bilateral series.
Kohli, who is the incumbent captain, has always been vocal about the workload of Indian cricketers in modern-day cricket. With Rohit at the helm, Kohli could have the constant pressure of captaincy relieved. This move can easily increase the career span of Kohli in international cricket. Looking at the T20 World Cup next, Rohit could be the ideal candidate to replace Kohli as captain.
