"He has the true ability to lead the team" - Mohammad Azharuddin congratulates Rohit Sharma on being handed ODI captaincy
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin is confident of Rohit Sharma's success as the new limited-overs skipper of the national side. The ex-cricketer recently took to social media to congratulate the right-hander on being appointed Virat Kohli's successor in limited-overs cricket.
Sharma, according to Azharuddin, has the skills required to lead the national side. He also mentioned there were big hopes with the right-hander taking over the captaincy reins from Kohli for white-ball games. Here's what he posted on his Koo account:
"There are big hopes for India’s new ODI and T20 captain Rohit Sharma after Virat Kohli. And he has the true ability to lead the team like he had promised. Congratulations to the new captain."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday that Sharma will replace Kohli as team India's captain for ODIs. Sharma was made skipper for the shortest format after the T20 World Cup 2021, with Kohi relinquishing his position in T20Is.
"A leader who led the side with grit, passion and determination" - BCCI thanks Virat Kohi for his contributions as captain
The Indian cricket board has shown appreciation for Kohli for his captaincy stint in ODI cricket with a recent post on Twitter. The champion cricketer led the national side in 95 ODIs and finished with an impressive win percentage of 70.43.
Here's what the BCCI posted:
A leader who led the side with grit, passion & determination. 🇮🇳🔝
Thank you Captain @imVkohli!👏👏
#TeamIndia https://t.co/gz7r6KCuWF
India are scheduled to tour South Africa later this month, where they will contest against the hosts in three Test matches and as many ODIs. Kohli will lead the side in red-ball matches against the Proteas while Sharma has been named as his deputy for the longer format.
The three ODIs in South Africa will be Sharma's maiden assignment as the side's ODI captain. The two cricketing nations were also originally slated to play a four-match series as part of the tour. However, they will now be played at a later time, as per the revised schedule.