I am doubtful – Sunil Gavaskar on the prospect of Rohit Sharma being India’s next Test captain

After Virat Kohli decided to quit as the Indian Test captain, the BCCI and the national selectors might turn to experienced players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma to be India’s next Test skipper.

However, former Indian legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar is doubtful whether Rohit Sharma will be given the Test captaincy baton as he has fitness issues.

Rohit missed the recently concluded three-match Test series against South Africa due to a hamstring injury. Furthermore, Rohit is not going to be available for the three-match ODI series as KL Rahul will lead in his absence.

In fact, Rohit has been named as the limited-overs captain but he has been troubled by injuries in the recent past. On the other hand, Rohit has proved his mettle as a Test opening batter as he scored 368 runs in four Test matches against England in 2021 at an impressive average of 52.57.

Thus, his place in the Test team as an opening batter is secure but he could go on to miss a couple of matches due to his fitness woes.

“The problem with Rohit is that he has fitness issues. So you need a player who remains fit and is available for all matches. If you remember, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews had the same issue with a hamstring. And with that, when you try to run fast or take a quick single, the injury resurfaces,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.

“If that is to happen, you may be forced to name someone else captain. So it’s better to pick a player who instead has external injuries. But with Rohit, this cycle of picking up regular injuries is why I am doubtful about him. This is why I feel that only a player who features in all formats should be made captain.”

On the other hand, the Little Master squashed rumours that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly played any role in Kohli’s decision to step down as India’s Test captain.

“No board would want that its captain’s hands should be tied. Sourav Ganguly, the president was a captain himself, so he wouldn’t do anything that would trouble the Indian skipper. Sure, at times there might be a few disagreements but I cannot even imagine something like that happening in Indian cricket,” the former India captain added.

Meanwhile, Gavaskar heaped praise on Virat Kohli for taking Indian cricket to new heights. The renowned commentator also likened India’s team with former sides like West Indies and Australia, which dominated the cricket world.

“Kohli has left a terrific impact as Test captain since taking over. He had a good team. And when you have a good team, the results will be good. Look at Clive Lloyd’s West Indies. They had four fast bowlers and brilliant batsmen. When you have a good team, winning matches become easier. Look at Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, and the kind of attacks they had. No one talks about how shrewd they were,” said Gavaskar.

India will take on South Africa in three-match ODI series.