Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has backed Rohit Sharma to take over the captaincy baton from Virat Kohli.
Pietersen stated that Rohit Sharma is a great leader and he will be a perfect fit to take India’s Test team forward.
Rohit has already been named as India’s limited-overs captain after Virat Kohli decided to quit the T20I captaincy while he was sacked as the ODI skipper as the national selectors wanted one leader for white-ball format.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has been a proven leader in the limited-overs format as he has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. Furthermore, Rohit has proved his mettle as a Test opener in all the conditions as he scored 368 runs in four Test matches against England in tough English conditions.
However, former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar and former opener Aakash Chopra feel it won’t make sense to give Rohit Sharma the Test captaincy as he has fitness issues.
“You (India) are so lucky that you have so many options for the captain. I will probably stick with Rohit Sharma. He is a great leader, I love the authority he commands. He makes fabulous decisions and we’ve seen them with Mumbai Indians, he has won so many titles with them. More importantly, I am really looking forward to how Rahul Dravid is with that team – can he do it with the youngsters, can he do it with the big guys,” Kevin Pietersen told India Today.
On the other hand, former dazzling English batter reckons these bio bubbles have taken a toll on Virat Kohli’s career and he has been put under pressure.
“Virat is an entertainer and for any athlete, it is very difficult to live in these bio bubbles. It does not just take a toll on the players but their families too. Something had to burst and the bubbles have to burst sometime or another. Virat is an entertainer and these bubbles may have taken a couple of years away from Virat’s career. As a player, if you give me no crowd it is very difficult to play. So I am not shocked (at Virat’s decision) When the crowds do come back, you watch Virat Kohli go again,” Pietersen added.
It will be interesting to note which player will the selectors back to be India’s new Test captain. It has been reported that KL Rahul could be given Test captaincy while Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah could well be some other options for the leadership role.
India will face South Africa in the second ODI at Paarl on Friday.
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