Impressed with his captaincy at the ODI World Cup, former captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday threw his weight behind Rohit Sharma, saying he should lead India at least till the T20 World Cup in June next year.
Rohit, who led India to the ODI World Cup final at home, and Virat Kohli have taken a “break” and will miss the white-ball leg of the upcoming South Africa tour, beginning December 10.
Talking to reporters, Ganguly said the duo deserved rest so that they come back “fresh” for the hectic calendar ahead.
“Once Rohit is back playing all formats, he should be the captain of India, because he has done so well in the World Cup,” said the former BCCI president, who was named the Dabur Chyawanprash’s brand ambassador for East India, during a program here.
“You saw in the World Cup how well they played. They are absolutely integral and an important part of Indian cricket.”
Interestingly, both Rohit and Kohli haven’t played a T20I since the semifinals against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the BCCI was not clear whether the duo should be in India’s scheme of things for the T20 global showpiece in six months time.
After the 2022 T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya was named India’s T20 captain but following his injury during the ODI World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav is leading the team in the ongoing five-T20 series against Australia.
“World Cups are different than a bilateral series because the pressures are different. They have been exceptional this World Cup and hopefully six-seven months down the line in the West Indies they will be again at their best,” Ganguly said.
“He’s (Rohit) a leader. I expect and I presume that he will continue as captain till the T20 World Cup in 2024.” The duo will be back for the two-Test series in South Africa beginning with the Boxing Day Test in Centurion.
“Very rightfully, they have taken a break because there is so much cricket all the time. I cannot imagine that you played a World Cup final on the 19th and in three days’ time you’re playing a T20I series against the same team,” Ganguly said.
“It is not easy to pick yourselves up, especially with the pressures and demands of the World Cup. I’m happy that they have got a break.
“They will come back fresh for Tests — there’re five Tests against England — there’s IPL, and then the T20 World Cup, so it’s non-stop cricket. Hopefully they’ll come back fresh and keep performing.”
Happy for Dravid
The BCCI has extended India head coach Rahul Dravid’s contract until the T20 World Cup, with the exact duration yet to be confirmed. During Sourav Ganguly’s BCCI tenure, Dravid became the head coach, and Ganguly expressed happiness about his contract extension. Ganguly wished Dravid luck for the upcoming World Cup, noting India’s strong performance in the previous competition. Reflecting on India’s ICC title drought, Ganguly hopes they’ll eventually triumph in a final, citing his own experiences as a captain.
Thank you Pujara, Rahane
Pujara, Rahane left out for South Africa Tests. Ganguly acknowledges their past successes, underscores the inevitability of transitions. Thanks them for their contributions and emphasizes the selectors’ focus on integrating new talent for team progression.