Split captaincy can be blessing in disguise for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, says Ravi Shastri
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has stated that the split captaincy in Team India can be a blessing in disguise for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shastri further added that he would not have considered himself as a successful coach if he was not able to get the best out of Rohit as an opener.
Virat Kohli had stepped down as T20I captain of Team India after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021. After Kohli relinquished the T20I captaincy role, the BCCI appointed Rohit Sharma as India’s full-time skipper in the shortest format of the game. The Indian opener led the Men in Blue in a three-match T20I series against New Zealand, and claimed a 3-0 victory over the Black Caps.
Later, the BCCI sacked Virat Kohli from ODI captaincy, and handed over the leadership role to Rohit Sharma. Reflecting on the governing body’s decision, BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly had revealed that the selection committee preferred a single captain for both white-ball formats. However, the decision of the BCCI opened doors for fuming debates among cricket fans and experts all over the world.
Meanwhile. Ravi Shastri has opined that the split captaincy in Team India can be a blessing in disguise for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
"I think it's the right way to go. This could be a blessing in disguise for Virat, and for Rohit, because I don't think in this era if the bubble life exists for another year or so, one guy can handle all, that is not easy at all," Shastri said on Star Sports.
The former Indian coach further added that he would not have considered himself as a successful coach if he was not able to get the best out of Rohit as an opener.
"It was very clear in my mind that I wanted to do it. I thought if I can't get the best out of him as a batsman then I am a failure as a coach because there is too much talent there," said Shastri.
Shastri also spoke about his relationship with India Test captain Virat Kohli.
"We're both pretty aggressive, we want to play to win. We realized very quickly that to win you need to take 20 wickets, deciding to play aggressive and fearless cricket.
"It meant at times you would lose games but once you got one across the line, then it's infectious," said Shastri.
Virat Kohli is leading Team India in the ongoing three-match Test series against South Africa, while Rohit Sharma is likely to begin his ODI captaincy stint during the white-ball series against Proteas, which is scheduled to begin on January 19.