Gavaskar wants Rohit Sharma to replace Kohli as T20 captain
Gavaskar backed the 34-year-old opener and also offered two names for the position of vice-captain
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has said Rohit Sharma should succeed Virat Kohli as the captain of India’s T20 side “for the next two world cups”.
Since Kohli’s announcement earlier this month that he will step down as the T20 captain after the IPL World Cup in the UAE and Oman, the search for his successor has gathered pace.
Sharma, captain of Mumbai Indians, in the Indian Premier League, is the favourite to land the job.
Gavaskar backed the 34-year-old opener and also offered two names for the position of vice-captain.
“I think Rohit Sharma for the next two world cups. You could say they [world cups] are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don’t want to change too many captains at this particular stage. Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups,” Gavaskar said in a discussion on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
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Either KL Rahul or Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant would be his choice for vice-captain, Gavaskar added.
He praised 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Pant for his leadership in the IPL.
“And then, I’m looking at KL Rahul for vice-captain. I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind because he has been really impressive in the way he has led a star-studded Delhi team and the bowling changes that he has been making in the T20 format, using [Anrich] Nortje and [Kagiso] Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street-smart captain, and you always want a street-smart captain who can read situations and act immediately. So yes, Rahul and Pant are the two guys I would look at as vice-captains,” he said.