Gambhir backs Rohit for India’s T20I captaincy
NEW DELHI: Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has called for Rohit Sharma’s elevation to India’s T20 captaincy with the former national team opener going to the extent of saying that it would be a “shame” if the star batsman does not get the role.
Rohit led Mumbai Indians to a fifth IPL title on Tuesday, impressing not just with a graceful half century but also shrewd captaincy. “If Rohit Sharma doesn’t become India’s captain, it’s their loss, not Rohit’s,” Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out programme.
“Yes, a captain is only as good as his team and I completely agree with that, but what are the parameters to judge a captain on who is good and who isn’t? The parameters and benchmark should be the same. Rohit has led his team (MI) to five IPL titles.
“We keep saying MS Dhoni is India’s most successful captain. Why? Because he has won two World Cups and three IPLs,” Gambhir said.
“Rohit has won five IPL titles, he is the most successful captain in the history of the tournament. Going forward, it’ll be a shame if he doesn’t get India’s white-ball or just T20 captaincy,” he added. Gambhir had earlier said that Virat Kohli should be made accountable for Royal Challegers Bangalore’s failure to win the IPL in 13 attempts, eight out of which were under Kohli’s leadership.
But the cricketer-turned-politician clarified that he never meant Kohli’s captaincy is “poor”, instead he only suggested that split captaincy model is the need of the hour.
“I’m not saying this because Kohli is a poor captain. But he has received the same platform that Rohit has, so you have to judge both of them on the same parameters. “Both have been captains in the IPL for the same length of time. I feel Rohit stands out as a leader.”