‘It’s not possible for him to play every series…’ – Former India cricketer’s unique view on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

India had never witnessed seven skippers leading the side in a calendar year. But 2022 saw seven different leaders who led the Men in Blue. Sri Lanka was the one side that used seven different captains in a single year and did this back in 2017. In search of new leaders, they tried several options as the team struggled to get the desired results. For team India, Rohit Sharma was announced as the full-time captain of all formats in February 2022. But the right-hand batter hardly led the team across all formats over the last few months.

After being announced the captain, team India has played seven ODI series, out of which Rohit has led the team in only two. He missed four series due to workload management and one home series against South Africa because of an injury. Either KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan have stepped up to lead team India in the absence of the opener.

We necessarily have to try out a lot more players: Hemang Badani

It was not only Rohit Sharma who took a break to manage the workload before the 20-20 World Cup. Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul were the other cricketers who took breaks at regular intervals. “With the World Cup coming and with us still at a phase where we aren’t clear about our side, we necessarily have to try out a lot more players,” Hemang Badani was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times. 

“Yes, to a large extent it does help to have the same captain in all formats but it’s practically impossible for Rohit Sharma to be able to play and sustain in every series. They will have to find the right balance but it’s not possible for Rohit to play every series, that’s not gonna happen. That is going to be the way forward,” added former India allrounder.

“A lot of us will feel why this should happen now. It was never the case in the past. But cricket has changed now. Every top player on every side does take a break here and there,” Badani concluded.