Cricket News
Former Australia captain backs Indian skipper Rohit Sharma after WTC final loss against Australia
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke backed the India skipper Rohit Sharma after he failed to win the World Test Championship final against Australia. Under Rohit’s captaincy, team India suffered a big defeat by 209 against the Aussies in a big final at the Oval, England last week. After that, Rohit has been criticized by the fans and the former cricketer which also brings uncertainty on his future as a captain of India in the longest format.
However, Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Clarke said that Rohit has bought a lot of success as a leader and also shown his faith on the 36-year-old to come in future. Clarke believes that a loss in the WTC final doesn’t justify Rohit’s captaincy. He also added that India should look for a stability with ODI World Cup around the corner.
“I would be keeping the faith with Rohit. 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. 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,” Clarke was quoted as saying by CricketAddictor.
‘India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years’ – Clarke on India’s trophy drought
The former cricketer also mentioned about India’s trophy drought for the last 10 years. He said that he has his faith on the Indian skipper and also added India has been the most consistent team over the past few years.
“Like I said to you, I would be keeping faith in Rohit. 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. 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” Clarke concluded saying.