T20 World Cup will decide the fate of India's captaincy, Rohit Sharma main contender if something goes wrong: Deep Dasgupta
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that the solution to India's captaincy debate will hinge on the forthcoming T20 World Cup, with Rohit Sharma being the 'main contender' if something goes south in the tournament.
India's thumping defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final has once again opened a Pandora's box of doubts over Virat Kohli's leadership acumen.
Now, with the T20 World Cup looming as well, fans on both sides of the debate are eager to know if promoting Rohit Sharma before it will be the right move.
Answering one such question on his YouTube channel, Deep Dasgupta argued that it would be 'unfair' on everyone to make the change now.
He, however, suggested that India's poor performance in the marquee tournament could potentially open the gate for another leader to step in.
"I won't say 'high time' but I would say Rohit is definitely an option. I think a lot will depend on the T20 World Cup because as of now it's very difficult. You have just 3-4 months ahead of you, you will change the captaincy, which will mean that the team will have to align with the style of the new captain.
"Even though Rohit has led the side before, there's a difference between a stand-in skipper and a full-time skipper because as the former you don't want to make too many changes. When you are a full-time skipper, obviously, you want to make changes because you want to run the team your way."
Dasgupta added:
"I believe it will be unfair on Rohit, the team, and also Virat now just 3-4 months before [the World Cup]. But I think the T20 World Cup will be very, very important in that aspect, because if something goes wrong there then Rohit is one of the main contenders for that spot."
The Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma captaincy debate has been one of the major ones in the recent past of Indian cricket. Kohli, despite being one of the most successful Indian captains in terms of wins, hasn't won an ICC or IPL trophy.
Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has won five IPL titles and has also led fairly well in his limited international opportunities
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to feature together against England
Despite the contrasting opinions of their passionate fans, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't let it affect their contributions to Indian cricket. The duo will now participate in the crucial five-Test series against England as the senior-most players.
Their runs in difficult, seam-friendly conditions will be critical to lifting the morale of their team and will go a long way in securing a historic win.
The first Test will kick off on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.