India captain Rohit Sharma is not the best choice to lead the team in T20Is, according to former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team director Joy Bhattacharjya.
After months of speculation about his future with the Indian team in the shortest format, having not played a T20I in more than a year since India’s T20 World Cup semi-final loss to England in 2022, Rohit returned to the side for the home series against Afghanistan in January.
His first T20I appearance in over a year came after BCCI Secretary Jay Shah recommended Rohit to lead the team at this year’s championship event in the West Indies and the United States.
As the tournament approaches, Bhattacharjya has questioned the BCCI’s decision to name Rohit as captain. According to him, the appointment has slowed the team.
“The decision to name Rohit Sharma as India’s captain for the T20 World Cup could have hampered the team. At this point, Sharma is not the best option to lead the team in the T20I format,” Bhattacharjya told Cricbuzz.
Bhattacharjya believes Rohit is currently out of form, and because he is the captain, India will be forced to drop either Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, or ever-present batsman Virat Kohli from the 15-man World Cup squad.
“I have the utmost respect for Rohit Sharma and believe he is an incredible cricketer. However, he is currently out of bat form. Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill are all in good form right now and are strong contenders for the opening positions.
However, because Sharma is the captain, he will open, forcing one of the in-form players to bat lower down the order,” he explained.
While choosing star pacer Jasprit Bumrah to captain India, Bhattacharjya explained Rohit’s selection.
“I would prefer Jasprit Bumrah over Rohit Sharma as captain because Bumrah’s bowling ability makes him an important member of the team. Rohit has accomplished everything in cricket, but there is one thing left to do: win the World Cup.
He won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and wants to finish his career on a high note, which we call bookending. “That’s a fantastic idea,” Bhattacharjya explained.
