'He can take India to an ICC trophy': Sunil Gavaskar names best man to replace Virat Kohli as T20I captain

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has picked the best man to lead India in T20Is after Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain of the side in the shortest format. Kohli cited workload issues as he explained his decision to quit T20I captaincy after leading India for one last time in their final Super 12 game against Namibia in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday.

India had a disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 as they failed to reach the semis after suffering back-to-back defeats in their first two games. India ended their campaign with three wins and two defeats in five matches in what was Kohli's last tournament as captain in T20Is. He will continue leading the Indian team in ODIs and Tests.

After Kohli's departure as captain, Gavaskar has named the ideal replacement for him as India's next T20I captain. The former India captain believes India should not look at a long-term captaincy change at present and appoint Rohit Sharma as the skipper in T20Is considering the T20 World Cup 2022 is less than a year away.

"Long term is in case the next World Cup is maybe 2 years away or 3 years away. Next World Cup is just 10-12 months away. You don't have to really look long term now," Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today.

"Right now, you have to look for the best man who can take India to an ICC trophy. And that is Rohit Sharma with his record for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he is an obvious choice. I think he should be given the captaincy and maybe after next year's World Cup in Australia, maybe have a look at another T20 captain. But right, now it's only Rohit Sharma," he added.

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Rohit has led India in the past and has a major trophy under his belt in the form of Asia Cup in 2018. He also led India to a memorable triumph in Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2018. Rohit also possesses a tremendous captaincy record in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He has led his team Mumbai Indians to a record five IPL titles and is the most successful captain in the history of the league.