Rohit Sharma will succeed Virat Kohli as India's T20I captain, can also become ODI skipper with good results: Madan Lal
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Virat Kohli, on Thursday (September 16), announced his decision to step down from T20I captaincy after the upcoming World Cup. Madan Lal feels Rohit Sharma will be his natural successor without a doubt.
On Thursday (September 16), Virat Kohli dropped a bomb by announcing his decision to step down as Team India's T20I captain after the upcoming T20 World Cup, in the UAE. With his decision, it has started a new discussion as to who will succeed Kohli in the shortest format.
While the 34-year-old Rohit Sharma seems like an obvious successor, who also had 5 IPL titles as Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper, some feel BCCI can invest in a young captain with Rohit-Kohli backing and grooming him to the core. However, former cricketer Madan Lal feels Hitman Rohit has emerged as a natural successor and can also become the ODI captain with good results as a T20I skipper.
"I don't think there will be any discussion about someone else's name because I think Rohit Sharma will become T20I captain. His performances in IPL as Mumbai Indians captain has been very good. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has spoken about the roadmap. In that case, Rohit Sharma was the vice-captain, he has a lot of experience having been Kohli's deputy," Madan Lal told AajTak.
He further asserted, "I don't think there will be any discussion on that. But we have to see whether the selectors will discuss a 50-over captain. Till now, Virat Kohli has led well in ODIs and Tests. He hasn't won an ICC title but he has won helped build strong bench strength. It depends on how Rohit Sharma performs. If he does well in T20 World Cup (next year), then there will be a discussion about him in the selection meeting. It is possible that if he produces good results, he can also be made captain of the 50-over format," he added.
For the unversed, Kohli will still lead India in the T20 World Cup. However, Rohit is likely to take over from thereon and will start his journey as a T20I captain in the New Zealand home series, which will be held soon after the showpiece event.