Gautam Gambhir makes bold claim, calls Rohit Sharma 'better captain' than Virat Kohli

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir recently opined that Team India needs a change in leadership. According to him, opening batsman Rohit Sharma would make a “better captain” than current skipper Virat Kohli. While Gautam Gambhir maintained that Virat Kohli is not a bad captain by any means, he believes that there is a “vast difference” between the quality of captaincy of the two cricketers.

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Gautam Gambhir cites Dream11 IPL record to defend Rohit Sharma preference

During an appearance on the Star Sports Show Cricket Connected, Gautam Gambhir called for a change in leadership of the Indian cricket team. The 2011 World Cup-winner emphasised on the importance of making use of the best available resources by citing Rohit Sharma’s superior Dream11 IPL captaincy record over his teammate Virat Kohli.

Gautam Gambhir said that if players get a national call-up on the basis of their Dream11 IPL performances, then a captain must also be selected based on their record in the Indian T20 tournament. The former Indian opening batsman added that if the Dream11 IPL is not a barometer for selecting captains, then it should also not be the same for selecting batsmen and bowlers.

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Captaincy records of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli took over Team India captaincy from MS Dhoni, when the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman retired from Test cricket in December 2014. Since then, the 32-year-old has led India to 33 Test wins in 55 matches, thus making him the most successful Indian Test captain to date. He also holds an impressive win percentage in ODIs, registering 62 wins in 89 ODIs. However, under his leadership, the ‘Men in Blue’ have yet to claim an ICC title, losing the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 Cricket World Cup, both in England.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, is the most successful Dream11 IPL skipper of all time with five titles. He also successfully led the Mumbai franchise in their title-defence campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month. Additionally, Rohit Sharma has also stepped in to take over Team India leadership whenever Kohli opted himself out of a tour.

In Virat Kohli’s absence, Rohit Sharma has led the ‘Men in Blue’ in 10 ODIs and 20 T20Is. He has registered 24 wins in both formats combined, and his most notable achievements was leading India to victory at the 2018 Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup later that same year.

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India vs Australia 2020 series: A road ahead

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are currently in Australia for the upcoming India vs Australia 2020 series Down Under. While Virat Kohli is selected for all three squads, the Indian skipper will return home after the opening Test at Adelaide. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has been selected only for the Test segment of the tour. Here is a look at the entire Indian squad for the much-awaited India vs Australia 2020 series.

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Image source: BCCI Twitter and PTI