"All signs suggest that Rohit Sharma is going to lead" - Kris Srikkanth on Team India's captaincy debate for 2024 T20 World Cup
Former Indian chief selector Kris Srikkanth feels Rohit Sharma will lead the side in the T20 World Cup in June after making a return for the three-match series against Afghanistan.
Rohit was the skipper of the side that suffered a thrashing at the hands of England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia. Following that, Rohit has not played T20Is for India before his inclusion in the upcoming series against Afghanistan.
Despite a 14-month absence from the format, the talismanic cricketer was also made the captain of the side for the series. Hardik Pandya was the regular skipper of the T20I side in Rohit's absence, with Suryakumar Yadav taking over in the previous two series due to Hardik's injury. The duo will miss the Afghanistan T20Is as they recover from their injuries.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the squad announcement for the Afghanistan series, Srikkanth was confident of Rohit being the captain for the T20 World Cup.
"All signs suggest that Rohit Sharma is going to lead India in T20 World Cup," Srikkanth said. "That’s how it’s going. The very fact that he is made captain nowâ€æ yes, Hardik Pandya is injured, Suryakumar Yadav, who was the deputy, is also not available due to injury. Jasprit Bumrah is also not there. Obviously, Rohit Sharma will be the captain."
"See, Mumbai Indians making Hardik Pandya captain is the franchise’s choice. From the team selection, Rohit Sharma will only captain India in T20 World Cup in all probability. It’s moving toward that," he added.
Rohit boasts an impressive record as Indian T20I captain, with 39 wins in 51 matches at a winning percentage of over 76.
"The wound of losing the World Cup is not over for him" - Kris Srikkanth on Rohit Sharma
Kris Srikkanth feels the pain of losing in the final of the ODI World Cup will be the driving factor for Rohit Sharma to win the 2024 T20 World Cup. Team India won 10 consecutive games until the semi-final before suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Australia in the summit clash.
Despite winning the 2007 T20 World Cup as a player and five IPL titles as skipper, the 36-year-old is yet to win an ICC title as Indian captain.
Srikkanth also believes Rohit will play attacking cricket in this year's IPL, similar to the method he followed in the 50-over World Cup.
"Rohit will play with total freedom in the IPL. He will play attacking cricket, like he did in the World Cup. The wound of losing the World Cup is not over for him. If India had beaten Australia on November 19, things would have been different," Srikkanth said.
"He now wants to win a World Cup as a captain," he continued. "A T20 World Cup is a World Cup at the end of the day. He would love to achieve it. Yes, 50-over World Cup is considered big, but if you win a T20 World Cup, you are still a World Cup-winning captain.
"At the end of the day, he wants to prove a point to himself. He seems to be determined to win a World Cup as captain."
Along with Rohit, star batter Virat Kohli also returned to the T20I squad for the Afghanistan series after the 2022 World Cup semi-final defeat. The three-match series starts in Mohali on Thursday, January 11.