Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'How much cricket is he going to play?': Dinesh Karthik pinpoints Rohit Sharma's 'big challenge' as India captain
The 34-year-old Rohit, who had missed the previous South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, will be making a return to red-ball cricket after over five months with the Sri Lanka Test series.
India eased to a 17-run victory over the West Indies in the third and final T20 of the series on Sunday, which marked the start of Rohit Sharma's spell as the full-time captain of the team. The leadership bunch has witnessed a significant change in the past few months with Rohit taking over the mantle of captaincy from Virat Kohli. Rohit has plenty of experience under his belt, having led Mumbai Indians to five IPL trophies.
A proven performer in the lucrative T20 league, Rohit will be eager to leave his mark in Indian colours as well. Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik also believes Rohit has a great understanding of the game, which was evident in the Indian team's home assignment against the West Indies. But Karthik also underlined Rohit's relationship with injuries that makes it difficult for the elegant batter to lead the team in all three formats.
"I think Rohit is very astute tactically. And the amount of cricket he will play will define how consistently he can play all three formats. He is at a place where there is a lot of cricket to be played throughout the year. That's going to be a big challenge for someone like Rohit. He is a quality captain... there's no doubt about that. When it comes to tactics, we saw in this game (third T20I against West Indies) that he is well ahead of the game," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
He rotated bowlers and brought Avesh Khan at the right time. Also, Shardul gave away 18 runs in his first over but finished with figures of 4/33. He (Rohit) is somebody who understands bowlers and what to do with them. With Rohit, the question is always going to be: 'How much cricket is he going to play?'," he further added.
Rohit on Saturday was named the skipper following the resignation of Virat Kohli as captain in the longest format last month. Chief selector Chetan Sharma insisted that Rohit will lead the Test team whenever he is fit and is not recommended for rest by the medical staff.
"Rohit was a clear choice of ours, we are very happy with naming him as captain. We will groom future captains under him, let's hope everything goes right and if things pan out how we want them to, it will be really good," said Sharma on Rohit's appointment as the Test skipper.
"If Rohit keeps leading for a long time, then it would be really good for us. But no one can predict it, as long as Rohit is available and fit, he will be the Test captain. When he wants to rest, we will give him the rest," he added.
The 34-year-old Rohit, who had missed the previous South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, will be making a return to Tests after over five months. His last appearance in red-ball cricket was against England back in September last year.
India’s next assignment will be against Sri Lanka. The three-match T20I contest begins Thursday, which will be followed by a two-match Test series.
