But according to reports, there is no urgent threat to Rohit Sharma’s Test captaincy but the player will have to go all guns blazing in West Indies to dilute the thick cloud of doubt over his captaincy in the longest format of the game.
Who will lead India in the West Indies series?
There have been questions regarding Rohit’s availability in the West Indies series, but reports say the Indian captain is certain to lead the team in the first Test against West Indies, which starts in Dominica from July 12. Sources say unless Rohit demands a rest from the series, he will be the one captaining the team.
But the BCCI selectors will have to take a call on his role in the team if the batter fails in the Caribbean Tests.
“These are baseless stuff that Rohit will be removed from captaincy. Yes, whether he will last the whole two-year WTC cycle is a big question as he would be nearly 38 when the third edition ends in 2025,” a senior BCCI source told PTI.
“As of now, I believe that Shiv Sunder Das and his colleagues will have to take a call after the two Tests and looking at his batting form. In fact, the BCCI works very differently from other sporting organisations. In Indian board, those in power believe that you don’t take decisions when the criticism reaches crescendo,” the source reportedly added.
“After West Indies, we have no Tests till December-end when the team travels to South Africa. So there is enough time for selectors to deliberate and take a decision. By then the fifth selector (new chairman) will also join the panel and a decision can be taken,” he added.
Rohit was not interested in captaincy
It is also revealed Rohit Sharma was not keen to take up captaincy after Virat Kohli quit his duties as captain from the Test format. It was former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly who had to convince the Mumbai batter to wear the captain’s armband.
“The two top men at that time (former president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah) had to convince him to take up the role once KL Rahul failed to impress as a captain in South Africa,” the source said.
Save a classy 120 against Australia on a challenging Nagpur track, Rohit hasn’t exactly scored the kind of runs that is expected from a player of his calibre. He scored 390 runs in 7 Tests and had an average of 35.45 in 11 completed innings with a single hundred and no other score above 50.
(with inputs from PTI)