Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar has backed Rohit Sharma to take over as captain for Team India in the T20Is following Virat Kohli's decision of stepping down as captain in the format. The upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman will be Kohli's final assignment as the leader of the Indian cricket team in the shortest format.
Not just the national team, a week later, on the eve of Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) first game of the second half of IPL 2021, Kohli announced that the 14th edition of the league will also be his last as the captain of the franchise as part of his workload management.
Talking about the same and who could be the next Indian captain, Gavaskar on Star Sports show Cricket Connected said, "I think Rohit Sharma for the next two World Cups. You could say they (World Cups) are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don't want to change too many captains at this particular stage. Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups."
Gavaskar also added that current Punjab Kings skipper and Delhi Capitals captain KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant could be groomed as future captains being Rohit's deputy after the T20 World Cup.
"And then, I'm looking at KL Rahul for vice-captain. I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind because he has been really impressive in the way he has led a star-studded Delhi team and the bowling changes that he has been making in the T20 format, using (Anrich) Nortje and (Kagiso) Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street-smart captain, and you always want a street-smart captain who can read situations and act immediately. So yes, Rahul and Pant are the two guys I would look at as Vice Captains," Gavaskar further said.
India's next T20I assignment after the T20 World Cup is against New Zealand playing three games at home.
