Ajit Agarkar Reveals His Take On Split Captaincy Between Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

For a long while, Rohit Sharma has been under discussion to take over as the captain of India in the shortest format of the game. Virat Kohli’s periodical absence has witnessed the 33-year old leading the Men in Blue and with success. Former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar has revealed his stance concerning split-captaincy for the Indian team.

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Rohit Sharma’s captaincy stints have proved as enigmatic so far. Under the Mumbai batsman, India tasted a series win over Sri Lanka in 2017, lifted the Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup in 2018, and above all is head and shoulders in the Indian Premier League. Ever since taking over the reins in 2013, Mumbai Indians have clinched the title four times with the latest one coming in 2019.

Ajit Agarkar, who was one of the strongest contenders to replace MSK Prasad as the chief selector believes that Rohit is the right candidate for the task. However, with two back to back T20 World Cups hovering, it may be too late for a change. The Mumbai bowler further said it depends upon Kohli if it exhausts him by playing too much cricket.

Agarkar sees no problem in Rohit Sharma taking over for one format if the situation demands:

Furthermore, Agarkar believes the team’s performance and progress also need to be looked at. If Rohit Sharma’s track record is better than that of Virat Kohli, then there’s nothing wrong in shifting the responsibilities.

“If you are a good enough candidate. Why not? Two things – there is so much cricket including two moths of IPL, apart from international cricket. If Virat Kohli is playing day in and day out..it starts tiring him out. Especially in T20I cricket. There isn’t much T20I cricket. One-day (cricket) I am not so sure. Virat still looks in charge in one-day cricket. T20I cricket..there is a World Cup this year and next year. It’s a bit late.

You have to look at the performance of the team. You have to look at team’s performance….are you getting enough wins? Is the team progressing…not just winning but is it getting better every time? The decision should be taken after that. Are there enough candidates in the team? As you said, Rohit has proved in T20s and he looks the only candidate if you look at it. There is nothing wrong in taking that decision if Kohli is tired or the team’s performance is not good.” the 42-year old said as quoted by Times Now.

Comparing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s T20I captaincy record:

When comparing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s leadership stats in T20Is, there isn’t much to separate the two. Under Kohli, the men in blue have stood triumphant in 22 out of 27 T20Is. On the other hand, Rohit has made India win 15 out of 19 T20Is that he has captained in.

Since both are all-format players, the selectors may have to look for some other candidate to lessen the burden on them. KL Rahul seems a good prospect to lead, having cemented his place in India’s limited-overs side with his recent performances.

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