Before the Virat Kohli-less side crushed England to expose the Bazball shortcomings, veteran Indian opener Rohit Sharma was named India’s captain for the 2024 edition of the ICC World T20. India’s all-format captain guided the Men In Blue to the final of the One Day International (ODI) World Cup last year. Rohit and Co. recorded a perfect ten in the round-robin stage before their heartbreaking defeat to Australia extended India’s trophy drought in ICC events.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when Rohit succeeded Kohli as India’s white-ball captain. Interestingy. It was Ganguly, who pushed Rohit to take the leadership role across all formats at the time. With BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirming Rohit as India’s captain for the T20 World Cup, Ganguly has also backed the decision of the apex cricket board.
Rohit Sharma is the right choice: Sourav Ganguly
Speaking to Mid-Day, Ganguly explained why Rohit is India’s best choice to lead the 2007 champions at the ICC event. “Rohit Sharma is the right choice as India captain for the T20 World Cup. The way he led the Indian team and won 10 matches in the 50-over World Cup is still fresh in our memory. So, Rohit was the best choice,” Ganguly said. Under the leadership of senior batter Rohit, India made it to the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 in 2022. India lost the semi-final to eventual winners England at the time.
With all-rounder Hardik Pandya still recovering from an ankle injury, Rohit was recently added to India’s T20 Squad for the first time since the T20 World Cup. Rohit captained India in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. “Rohit was captaining (in the past in other formats) and he came back for the Afghanistan series, which means we were going to let him continue forward,” BCCI secretary Shah told PTI.
Rohit’s exceptional T20I record
Veteran opener Rohit became the most prolific T20I centurion in his previous appearance for the Men In Blue against Afghanistan. The India skipper has five centuries under his belt in the shortest format. The 36-year-old notched up his highest T20I score (121* off 69 balls) against Afghanistan. Rohit’s three out of five centuries have come while leading India. The India skipper has amassed 3974 runs in 151 T20Is. “Rohit has the ability, we know. As he showed in the ODI World Cup where we won 10 matches in a row until the final. I am confident that India will lift the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in Barbados,” Shah added.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
