Published 15:12 IST, November 11th 2020
Gautam Gambhir backs Rohit Sharma to replace Virat Kohli as India's white-ball captain
Former India player Gautam Gambhir is of the opinion that Rohit Sharma should be handed India's limited-overs captaincy due to his success in the Dream11 IPL.
While all the teams were involved in a tooth and nail fight in the 13th edition of the Dream11 Indian Premier League, the Mumbai side eventually emerged as the ultimate champions of the league. Mumbai have proved their worth time and time again, and their meteoric rise since their first championship win in 2013 has been a case study for the other franchises. Rohit Sharma as a captain has played a major part in the team's success and he received appreciation from all corners after the team's record fifth win.
Gautam Gambhir bats for Rohit Sharma to replace Virat Kohli as India's limited-overs captain
The Mumbai captain's leadership skills in the cash-rich league over the years have sparked the perennial Rohit Sharma vs Virat Kohli debate when it comes to the ideal India captain. While the 33-year-old Sharma has been in-and-out of the Test setup, many are of the opinion that the Mumbai-based cricketer is better-suited as Team India's skipper in white-ball cricket. A certain section of the fans have been vocal about the dire need for this change, and now former India cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, has voiced his opinion regarding the issue as well.
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Soon after Rohit Sharma and co. conquered the Delhi barrier, Gautam Gambhir spoke about the captaincy debate on an ESPNcricinfo show. Stressing on the parameters to judge the potency of a captain, Gambhir compared the records of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as leaders of their respective franchises in the Dream11 IPL. While the Mumbai IPL title wins tally now stands at five under the watchful eyes of Sharma, Kolhi has failed to clinch a single championship in his tenure of eight years as the Bangalore captain. This is a major point of concern as per the cricketer-turned-politician.
He opines that MS Dhoni is often hailed as the most successful captain in the country because he has won the coveted World Cup trophy twice in his stint as the national team's captain. Even though Gambhir himself is a firm believer in the old cricket adage 'A captain is as good as his team', he added that Sharma has proved his mettle in the Dream11 Indian Premier League, and it will be unfair if he does not get an opportunity to translate the same success in international cricket. Gambhir is of the opinion that it will be the Indian team's loss if Sharma is not appointed as the captain in white-ball cricket or T20 cricket in the near future.
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Gautam Gambhir also gave an interesting proposition of spilt captaincy between the two players, as he feels no one is inferior to each other in terms of capabilities. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was also mesmerised by the way Sharma led the Mumbai side to their momentous win this season. He also proposed the idea of Rohit Sharma leading the Indian T20 side.
Rohit Sharma, who was nursing an injury in the IPL 2020, has been rested for the limited-overs matches in India vs Australia 2020 series. Whereas he was later included in the Test squad after his recovery was monitored by BCCI's medical team. The India vs Australia 2020 matches begin with the first ODI on November 27.
Image source: PTI
Updated 15:12 IST, November 11th 2020