Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan reckons it will not be easy for Rohit Sharma to fill in Virat Kohli’s big shoes as a Test captain.
There is no doubt that Kohli has left behind a huge legacy as a Test skipper as he led India to 40 wins in 68 Test matches he led, which makes him the most successful Indian captain.
India also savored great success in foreign conditions and 11 wins came in SENA countries and the West Indies under Kohli’s successful tenure as Indian captain whereas 16 overall victories came on overseas shores. Kohli also led the team to their first-ever win on Australian soil as they won the Border-Gavaskar series in 2018-19.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has all the captaincy experience as a limited-overs format but he hasn’t led in the red-ball version and it will be interesting to note how he will handle things in the Test format. However, it will help Rohit that he will begin his Test captaincy stint in favorable Indian conditions against a depleted Sri Lankan team.
Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports, “India is a very good team, and the way Virat Kohli captained, he has left behind a huge legacy, it will not be easy for Rohit Sharma to fill his shoes. Rohit is an excellent captain when we talk about white-ball cricket but we are yet to see his captaincy in Test match cricket.”
Meanwhile, India will lack experience in their middle-order as Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been dropped from the Test after their poor run of form. Thus, players like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hanuma Vihari will be given their opportunities.
“If we talk about the challenges, fitness will be talked about, but the four big names who have contributed a lot over the last many years, if guys who have played 60-70 Test matches are suddenly not there, you have to make a team without them.”
“There will be talk about two middle-order batters, there will be talk about who will be Ishant Sharma’s replacement. He will have the responsibility to prepare three or four players to fill those positions.”
Pathan added that Rohit Sharma will look to keep Test cricket as the number one priority and every series is vital in the WTC cycle.
“Along with that, this WTC cycle remains very interesting. Every series is extremely important, whether you play Sri Lanka at home or South Africa in South Africa. Rohit Sharma will be known by the results but I can say one thing with confidence that he will want to keep Test cricket as the No. 1 priority.”
The first Test match against Sri Lank will be played in Mohali on Friday.
