'The day Kohli left T20 captaincy, it was a foregone conclusion': Ex-India opener reacts to Rohit being made ODI captain

Rohit Sharma was named India's new ODI captain and the former India opener believes that the decision was expected.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed on Wednesday that Rohit Sharma will take over as the captain of the Indian ODI side from Virat Kohli. Rohit will begin his captaincy tenure in the 50-over format from the series against South Africa, which takes place in January. The opening batter is now India's white-ball captain and was also named the vice-captain of the Indian Test side, replacing Ajinkya Rahane.

Rohit Sharma (L) was named the new ODI captain on Wednesday. He will take over the role from Virat Kohli. (PTI)

While the fans on Twitter reacted in shock at the announcement, former India batter Aakash Chopra insisted that it was an expected decision. The former Indian opener said that Rohit taking over the ODI captaincy ensures that the team has maintained a “distinction” between red and white-ball formats.

“The day Virat Kohli left his T20 captaincy, it was a foregone conclusion that he will also lose his one-day captaincy. You would always want to go with the captain who leads the T20 team (for the ODI side),” Aakash Chopra said on his official YouTube channel.

“In world cricket, you don't see a player leading the Test and ODI team not captaining the side in T20s. A distinction is always over white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket, and now we have that distinction.”

Chopra said India will benefit from Rohit's “tactical acumen.”

"What he brings to the table is his tactical acumen. He is very good tactically. Rohit Sharma has always been a lucky captain, so that also helps!

“Rohit Sharma the batsman will have to help Rohit Sharma the captain. Indian cricket is a lot about 1-2-3 (top order), so when Rohit, Rahul and Virat Kohli score big, it's always good for Indian cricket,” said the former India opener.

Rohit Sharma played in his first T20I series as a full-time captain in India's series against New Zealand last month, defeating the side 3-0.