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Cricket Players'We're grooming Rahul' as captain: Chetan Sharma addresses Rohit's fitness concerns; 'No one wants to be unfit'
Chetan Sharma insisted that KL Rahul is being “groomed” as the potential captain for the future and selectors believe that he has “proved” his qualities as a leader.
All India Senior-Selection Committee chairman Chetan Sharma on Friday addressed a press conference for the announcement of India's ODI squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which begins on January 19. While KL Rahul is named the captain of the side in the absence of an unfit Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah was named the vice-captain of the side that also features former limited-overs captain Virat Kohli.
Chetan Sharma insisted that KL Rahul is being “groomed” as the potential captain for the future and selectors believe that he has “proved” his qualities as a leader. Rahul was the captain of the Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings for the past three seasons.
“Yes, definitely. We are looking at KL Rahul at present. He is a three-format player and he got a good experience of captaincy. Most importantly, he proved his leadership quality, that's what all selectors think. As Rohit is not fit, we thought KL would be the best one who can handle this side. That's why we have good confidence in KL and we're grooming him,” Sharma said.
However, when asked about the concerns over Rohit Sharma's fitness and a potential change in leadership after the 2023 World Cup, the chief selector insisted that the first aim for selectors is to prepare the team for this year's T20 World Cup.
“I know but if you talk about the five selectors, we are thinking about the T20 World Cup. We definitely are preparing for the ‘23 World Cup, but our first aim is the T20 World Cup this year. We can’t speculate on who will or will not be fit, it is not our place to do so,” said Sharma.
“No one wants to be unfit. We cannot think beyond '23 for now. Obviously, we are grooming KL Rahul. We brought Bumrah (as vice-captain) because he is an experienced guy, he can come in and learn. He is the vice-captain because our main captain is not fit. But the guys are going to learn and it will be good for Indian cricket,” said Sharma.
