Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'Figure out whether you want one player as all-format captain. No. 1 is...': Ex-selector names pick for India leadership
Rohit Sharma was named as India's all-format captain shortly after Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy earlier in January.
Change in leadership is part and parcel of the sport. But it has perhaps happened a bit too fast for India. Mercurial Virat Kohli was leading the side in all three formats last year. Cut to the present day, KL Rahul is the captain for the ongoing 50-over series in Zimbabwe. Since last year's World T20, India had as many as eight captains across formats – a move that has experts questioning the continuous change. Watch: Shikhar Dhawan's million-dollar reaction to fan's 'Can I have your shirt?' sign during India vs Zimbabwe 3rd ODI
The BCCI had mentioned that Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah are among the names that the team management will aim to groom for future leadership roles. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has also said that he would happily take over full-time captaincy moving forward. But for former national selector Saba Karim, Rahul is perfect for the role, with Pant also entering the picture after his stellar growth in world cricket.
“Very early days! I feel it’s up to the selectors to first figure out whether they want to have one player as an all-format captain and if that is the case then you’re left with multiple options. Number one is KL Rahul because he plays all three formats. Number 2, hot on his heels is Rishabh Pant who’s been exceptional in the past couple of seasons. Now he’s grown into an excellent white ball player as well. So, you’re left with these two options," the former India stumper told Sports18.
"But there are so many other things to consider. Number one is for how long Rohit Sharma can continue given his injury woes. So, these things also have to be kept in mind. Are you looking at a young leader? If that’s the case, then let’s get Rishabh Pant in because he’s another player who’ll play all three formats in years to come. So, these are the choices which that the selectors have to deal with." he added.
Rohit Sharma was named as India's all-format captain shortly after Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy earlier in January. The BCCI is grooming players to take over the role from Rohit but it remains to be seen whether Rahul or Pant wear the captain's armband.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recently mentioned that taxing schedules and injury breaks have led to frequent changes in captaincy. India have handed captaincy duties to Hardik and Shikhar Dhawan as well.
Hardik led the Indian side in two T20Is in Ireland while Dhawan led a second-string side in the Windies ODI series.
“Rohit Sharma is now the all-format captain. And they play so much, injuries are bound to happen and hence they do need injury breaks. This gives the advantage that there are a lot of new players who have come up. And we won in West Indies and in England with this new bunch of players. India now have a pool of 30 players who can now play for the national team anytime," Ganguly told India Today in an interview.
