Virat Kohli could soon share captaincy duties with Rohit Sharma after the end of the ICC T20 World Cup. Kohli is currently leading the Indian national cricket team in three formats. (More Cricket News)
For a long time, split captaincy has been a hot topic in Indian cricket. Many have suggested that Rohit Sharma should be given the leadership of at least the T20 side, especially considering the workload on Kohli and also his inability to win trophies in the shorter formats of the game.
According to reports, Kohli has had discussions with Rohit and the team management for a possible change of guard. And they have taken the call to herald Rohit's captaincy in at least one format.
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Times of India, quoting a BCCI source, claimed that Kohli "himself will make the announcement. He is of the view that he needs to concentrate on his batting and go back to becoming what he's always been — the best batsman in the world."
Kohli, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, is having a lean phase with the bat. He hasn't hit an international century in almost three years. His last ton was against Bangladesh in a Test match in November, 2019.
"Virat is also the first to realise that his overall responsibilities as captain across formats are taking a toll on his batting. He needs that space and freshness because he has a lot more to offer. If Rohit takes over as whiteball captain, Virat can continue leading India’s red-ball aspirations and work on his T20 and One-day batting. He’s just 32 and given his fitness, he will easily play top cricket another five to six years at least," the report continued.
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Meanwhile, it's also reported that Kohli's failure to deliver an ICC trophy has become a major roadblock in his captaincy. And also, BCCI officials were not happy with Kohli’s team selection for the World Test Championship final, which India lost to New Zealand.
"The BCCI is deeply concerned about Virat Kohli’s captaincy, especially in the ICC tournaments because of his failure as a captain in the ICC events. In a meeting held by the BCCI office-bearers in July after the WTC Final, it emerged that a lot of BCCI officials are unsatisfied with Virat’s captaincy," MensXP reported.
Despite leading India to historic Test series wins in Australia and England, Kohli has failed in ICC events, a fact that gets only accentuated when one looks at his captaincy record for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In contrast, Rohit has guided Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. He has also led India to 15 wins in 19 matches as captain. Besides being a destructive batsman with a veritable list of records in the limited-overs, the 34-year-old has also established himself as a capable opener in Test cricket.
