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Updated September 16th, 2021 at 19:55 IST

Will Rohit Sharma succeed Virat Kohli as India's next T20I captain? The Hitman's case

Rohit Sharma could be in contention to become India's next T20I captain as Virat Kohli announced on Thursday that he will step down after the T20 World Cup.

Rohit Sharma
Image: PTI | Image:self
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As Virat Kohli announced on Thursday, 16 September 2021, about his decision to give up the Indian team’s captaincy in T20I cricket after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in UAE, cricket fans were quick to project current vice-captain Rohit Sharma as the next skipper of the Indian T20I team. Virat Kohli mentioned in his official announcement that he took this decision after discussions with his close people, including Rohit Sharma and the Indian team’s coach Ravi Shastri. However, amidst all the uncertainty of who will be India’s next T20 captain, let’s take a look at why Rohit Sharma could be the next in line to lead India in T20I cricket.

Rohit Sharma has played 111 T20I matches since making his debut in T20I cricket during the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. He has scored 2,864 runs at a strike rate of 138.96 with the help of four centuries and 22 half-centuries. He has captained the Indian side in 19 matches till now, the last of which was against New Zealand in 2020. India has won a total of 15 matches under his captaincy. He has a winning percentage of 78.94 when leading the side and has also won the ‘Man of the Match’ title 10 times as a player. Among the many series, his most notable win as a T20I captain was the 2018 Nidahas Trophy, where India emerged victorious after winning the final against Bangladesh in a last-ball thriller. 

Rohit Sharma has won the IPL title five times while leading Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma also has a rich experience in captaincy in the T20 format, as he has led his Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. He has captained Mumbai Indians in 123 matches and won 74 out of them with a winning percentage of 60.16. Having five IPL titles to his name, Rohit Sharma can be considered as the most successful captain statistically in the Indian Premier League. However, Rohit could face some serious competition from youngsters like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer, who also have a good captaincy record in the IPL.

All these facts evidently push the idea of Rohit becoming the next T20I captain for India. However, as a player, Virat Kohli has the upper hand on Rohit as Virat has scored 3,159 runs in 90 T20I matches with the strike rate of 139.04 and an average of 52.65. Another fact that supports Rohit’s contention for the captaincy of the Indian T20 team is that Rohit is the only player in the current T20I side who was a part of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 winning team. By being a part of the Indian team since 2007, Rohit is the player with the most amount of experience in the current team.

Image: PTI

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Published September 16th, 2021 at 19:18 IST

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