"I would be keeping the faith with Rohit" - Michael Clarke on Team India captain's future
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has backed Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to continue leading the team in the near future. His comments came after Rohit's leadership qualities came under the scanner following India's thumping defeat against the Aussies in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final earlier this month.
India, who made their second consecutive final in as many editions, lost to Pat Cummins and Co. by 209 runs at the Kennington Oval in London.
Rohit's tactics during the WTC final were questioned by fans and experts alike. However, Michael Clarke has given his vote of confidence to Rohit, stressing the need to have stability ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
"I would be keeping the faith with Rohit," Clarke told Revsportz. "I think he is a very good captain. I like his aggressive approach, he looks to be as positive as he can be. He has had a lot of success as a leader. Look at his IPL record for Mumbai (Indians).
"Just because India didn’t win the Test World Championship doesn’t mean Rohit is not the right guy to lead India," he continued. "The fact that India qualified again, they are the only team to make consecutive finals, says a lot about how they have played their Test cricket over the past four years. It is also a very important time for stability with the One-Day World Cup right around the corner."
Since taking over from Virat Kohli in 2022, Rohit Sharma has led India in seven Tests, winning four of those and losing two.
"To make consecutive finals isn’t easy" - Michael Clarke on Team India
Michael Clarke, who is one of the most successful Australian skippers, also asserted that losing the WTC final doesn't make India a bad team. Instead, the former cricketer stressed that making two finals in a row means that India have played consistent cricket over the years.
"Like I said to you, I would be keeping faith in Rohit," Clarke said. "Since taking over as captain, he has won you a Test series against Australia at home. He has done well as a batter as well. Think of his hundred in the last series.
"Losing a one-off final doesn’t make him a bad captain, nor does it make India a bad team," he added. "To make consecutive finals isn’t easy. What it means is that India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years.
"To do so in Test cricket is commendable, and I would urge you to look at that as well before making any kind of judgment call," he concluded.
India will next be seen in action when they square off against the West Indies in a multi-format series, starting next month.