Sarandeep Singh Responds To The Debate Over Split Captaincy By Bringing In Virat Kohli's All Three Format Consistency

Former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh has responded to the debate over split captaincy by stating the consistency of Virat Kohli in all 3 formats and felt the debate is needless. The debate arose after India produced a magical performance under Ajinkya Rahane as the leader in Tests against Australia to win for the second consecutive time. Some experts have wanted Rohit Sharma as the captain of the limited over’s team.

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest match-winners India had produced and his consistency is irreplaceable. He had carried the team on his own at times and is in contention to break most of the records in the book when he finishes his career. The 32-year-old is one of the fewest batsmen in the world to average more than 50 in all three formats and takes a lot of pride in playing for his nation.

“He Has Been Handling The Team Well” – Sarandeep Singh

Sarandeep Singh praised Virat Kohli for leading the team well in the last 4-5 years and mentioned that Kohli has built the team. Unless the captaincy has affected Kohli’s performance, Sarandeep said there is no need for split captaincy. He added that Rahane was impressive as a captain in Australia and his team showed a lot of character in the absence of Kohli, but concluded that wasn’t enough to change captaincy.

“Virat Kohli is the captain. He has been leading for 4-5 years. He has been handling the team well. If Virat’s captaincy starts affecting his batting, then we can think of someone.But the question that arises is, can anyone perform with the same level of consistency that Virat has done in all three formats? Virat Kohli is the leader. He has made this team. Yes, there have been ups and down…”

“Definitely, Ajinkya Rahane, the way he handled the team (in Australia) was impressive. He is a very smart and thinking cricketer. But he was very well backed up by the rest of the teammates as well.Some big names had predicted a 0-4 loss for India in Australia. The Indian team though showed they can win even without Virat. However, I don’t see that as a reason to go for split captaincy,” said Sarandeep Singh.

“As Of Now, Virat Seems The Right Choice” – Sarandeep Singh

Sarandeep Singh lauded Rohit Sharma’s captaincy for the Mumbai Indians but pointed out the injury concerns that Rohit had during tours and the consistency of him in all 3 formats. He told that it is unfair to compare Kohli’s RCB captaincy and India captaincy and added that he is one of the best T20 captains in the world be it, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, everywhere.

Rohit is a wonderful batsman. As a captain, he has led Mumbai Indians to multiple titles in the IPL. But he has got injured a lot recently. He missed the New Zealand Tests and the ODIs and T20Is in Australia. So one has to see who can replace Virat as leader in all three formats. As of now, Virat seems the right choice and he is doing fine.”

“IPL results of a team depend on the kind of players the management picks and how they perform. When it comes to the Indian team, Virat is one of the best captains. He is the only captain who has won T20Is all over the world , be it Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, everywhere,” Sarandeep Singh concluded.

Virat Kohli is currently captaining the Indian side in the 4 match home test series against England and will continue as the captain for the limited-overs series as well.