‘I still want to see him as captain in T20 World Cup’ – Gautam Gambhir’s bold verdict on India’s skipper Rohit Sharma

Team India lost the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia on November 19 at the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. Notably, after the crushing loss, Rohit Sharma and Co. will gradually shift their focus to the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in May and June 2024 in the host country of the West Indies and the USA.

However, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir feels Rohit Sharma should be the captain of the T20I tournament as well. Notably, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not part of any single T20I series after they suffered a 10-wicket loss over England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final held in Australia. The star cricketers were not part of the West Indies or the Ireland series. However, both cricketers were also not included for five matches of the T20I series against Australia.

The former Indian opener feels Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both should be picked for the T20 World Cup 2024 owing to their phenomenal performances in the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, Virat Kohli has the highest run in the tournament, whereas Rohit Sharma proved himself as an explosive batter in the powerplays. However, 2011 ODI World Cup-winning star feels Hardik Pandya will probably be the skipper, but he wishes to bring Rohit Sharma back as the skipper in the next tournament.

If Rohit Sharma is picked, Virat Kohli will automatically get picked: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir said that Rohit Sharma should be picked as the captain and not as the batter if he decides to play the tournament. However, the well-renowned cricket commentator feels if Rohit Sharma gets picked, then Virat Kohli as well.

“Absolutely, both (Kohli and Rohit) need to be picked, both should be picked. And, more importantly, I want to see Rohit Sharma captain in the T20 World Cup. Yes, Hardik Pandya has captained in T20Is, but I still want to see Rohit Sharma captain in the T20 World Cup,” Gautam Gambhir said.

“In this World Cup, he has showed that with his batting. If Rohit Sharma is picked, Virat Kohli will automatically get picked. If Rohit Sharma decides to play the T20 World Cup, he should be selected as a captain and not just as a batter,” he added further.