"Don't think was a surprise" - Anil Kumble on Rohit Sharma being confirmed as skipper at 2024 T20 World Cup
Former Indian captain Anil Kumble said he was not surprised by BCCI secretary Jay Shah's announcement of Rohit Sharma captaining India in the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
Rohit returned to the Indian T20I squad for their recent home series against Afghanistan after a 14-month hiatus. Hardik Pandya led the T20I side in that period until his injury forced Suryakumar Yadav to be at the helm for the Australia and South Africa series at the end of last year.
While Rohit led the side in the Afghanistan series, questions surrounded India's captain for the showpiece event between him and Hardik. However, Shah clarified all speculations by claiming India would triumph in the T20 World Cup under Rohit's captaincy.
Speaking to Sports18, Kumble expressed his lack of surprise at the decision and felt it was the right decision to achieve stability at the top.
"The Rohit Sharma announcement, I don't think was a surprise because I certainly believe that we need that stability, especially at the top. Rohit is someone who has done exceptionally well as India's captain," Kumble said.
Hardik Pandya also replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper for the upcoming IPL season, further sparking the Indian T20I captaincy debate.
Under Rohit, India have won 41 of their 54 T20I games and reached the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup in Australia.
"His T20 form in the IPL hasn't been special in the last couple of years but he's a quality player" - Anil Kumble on Rohit Sharma
Anil Kumble backed Rohit Sharma to perform well at the top of the order for India despite his lack of form in the last few IPL seasons.
The 36-year-old has not averaged even 30 in one of the last seven IPL editions, including an average of 20 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Yet, Rohit struck a magnificent 121* off 69 deliveries in the final T20I against Afghanistan after back-to-back ducks on his return.
"His T20 form in the IPL hasn't been special in the last couple of years but he's a quality player. We saw against Afghanistan, when the team was struggling a bit he came and scored that wonderful hundred. It's important you have that kind of stability going into the T20 World Cup," said Kumble.
Rohit has scored the joint-most T20I centuries with five, along with Glenn Maxwell, and averages almost 32 at a strike rate of 140 in 151 games.
Team India are yet to win a T20 World Cup title since their triumph in the inaugural edition in 2007.