After victory against Pakistan, do you think Rohit Sharma should be made the permanent Indian ODI team captain?

In short, broadly put, Rohit Sharma is perfect for the role of Indian ODI team captain. But before

that, we really need to ask whether or not there is a need for a new captain right now. Has Virat Kohli done so bad that he needs to be removed as the captain of the team? Was the series loss against England so hitting that we need to ponder over removing him from the team?

(Courtesy: News X)

If we keep the last series in the side-line, Virat Kohli is one of the best Indian team captains across formats. His records have taken over that of Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly’s, only trailing very closely to that of MS Dhoni’s.

In whatever matches Kohli has led the team, he has done that from the front—performing phenomenally with the bat, looking active on the field and involving all the players to look lively. Kohli, aside from his cricket and leadership skill, bring an X-factor on the field that you can actually feel it. He is the most impactful player on the Indian side today who, even when failing to deliver, bring a psychological advantage for India. Now does Rohit Sharma brings the same impact, X-factor and advantage? That’s debatable. Again, he’s one of the finest and is a great choice for the role of Indian ODI team captain. But I don’t think he’s an overall package—yes, even with his winning performances for Mumbai Indians.

(Courtesy: Business Standard)

About Rohit’s latest performance, you need to realize that Pakistan is a much weaker side. It was almost imminent that they are going to lose the match. Even Sarfaraz Ahmed admitted followintheir loss, “their (India’s) skill level is high, ours is not quite there.”

So, calling Sharma the “best captain”, as many have been doing on Twitter, would be absurd. Similarly, calling Kohli as the “bad captain” following India’s loss against England is equally unfair.

Virat Kohli is a great Indian ODI team captain. And for as long as he’s in the team, I don’t think there would ever be any reason to look for an alternative. He’s the best possible replacement India can ask for MS Dhoni.

Besides, one must also keep in mind that just because a player is good with the ball/bat and has a good leadership skill doesn’t mean he’s an ideal fit for the captaincy role. Tendulkar is the finest example of this simple fact.

So, leave Rohit Sharma out of all captaincy’s stress. Let him play his natural game. The team is fine with Kohli as the captain.