Rohit Sharma is a top-notch player. He has been in sublime form with the bat in hand. And has changed the fortune of Indian white-ball cricket ever since he took hold of Indian captaincy.
Yet, a Virender Sehwag believes that Sharma should be relieved from his captaincy duties in the shortest format. The former explosive batter has very reasonable arguments behind it.
Virender Sehwag concerned about Rohit Sharma’s fitness
Since Rohit Sharma’s appointment as the captain of the Indian team, he has failed to feature in all matches. He has been more out than on the field due to injuries or workload management.
This is why Sehwag, in an interview with PTI, said that the break will help Rohit Sharma “manage his workload and mental fatigue given his age.” He further added that the frequent breaks from the shortest format would help Sharma focus on Test and ODI more.
Although with this statement, Sehwag is not implying that Sharma is the wrong choice for leadership. Rather he believes that Sharma is the ideal choice for the captaincy of the Indian team.
Importance of Split Captaincy
The former opener brought this point forward, considering the hectic international schedule that is upon us. Further, this split captaincy has done wonders for nations like Australia and England.
Both these counties have had different captains for different formats. Currently, Pat Cummins is the leader in the longest format, while Finch reigns in the shorter ones.
Similarly, Joe Root held the baton in tests for England. And Eoin Morgan was entrusted with the white ball captaincy.
Results? Morgan won England the 2019 ODI World Cup. While Finch and boys lifted the 2021 T20 World Cup.
India has not tested the split captaincy formula for a long time. The last and perhaps the longest reign of split captaincy in India was seen during the 2014-15 years.
It was a time when MS Dhoni retired from tests and continued as white-ball captain. However, that too ended after he renounced white ball captaincy.
India could have had another such partnership after Kohli was forced out of ODI Captaincy. But he discontinued as the test captain soon after. As a result, Rohit Sharma is the current captain in all formats.
Kapil Dev, the former World Cup-winning captain, calls the single captaincy “culture” of Indian cricket.
Indian fans will be hoping for results. For they love their players enough to not care about who captains, as long as they generate tournament wins. Which India has been aching for since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
