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Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)
India's change of captaincy from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma has been a topic of discussion for a long time and still, the backstory is unclear. Rohit took the leadership role in T20Is after Kohli stepped down from the role in 2021. The former was then appointed as India's ODI captain after Kohli was sacked from the post.
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The reason for this is believed to be the need of the Indian Cricket Board to have a single captain in white ball cricket. However, Kohli wanted to lead the team in the 50-over format as well as Tests. The 35-year-old decided to quit his successful captaincy in red-ball cricket after losing a series against South Africa in January 2022. With this, Rohit became the captain in all three formats of the game.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who was the President of the Indian Cricket Board then, also had a guest role as 'villain' in the Kohli-Rohit captaincy change saga. Meanwhile, in a recent conversation with Kolkata TV, Ganguly made a shocking revelation about India's change of captaincy from Kohli.
“Rohit Sharma wasn't keen on captaincy. It had gone to a stage where 'aapko ha bolna hai nahi toh main kar dunga' (If you don’t say yes, I will announce your name). It had gone to that stage. Because he is an outstanding captain. After Virat Kohli left, he was the best man to lead India,” Ganguly revealed.
He had a lot on his plate: Ganguly on Rohit Sharma
When asked why Rohit refused to take over the captaincy, Dada said the 36-year-old might have been under too much pressure because of workload, though he was not aware of the exact reason.
“Don't know exactly. A lot of cricket. Men's cricket, T20 cricket, lot of Cricket lot of pressure. IPL captaincy so he had a lot on his plate but nothing can be better than India captain. I am happy that he has taken it. And he is doing well,” he added.
As Ganguly said, Rohit was India's best option to pass the baton. The Mumbai Indians talisman had a successful record in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but initially failed to impress at the international level. He failed to lead the Men in Blue to success in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final and the 2022 T20 World Cup.
However, Rohit is finally proving his mettle by guiding India tremendously in the 2023 ODI World Cup both as a captain and batter. India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals on the strength of an 8-match unbeaten run. They are almost confirmed to play against New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15.