Rohit Sharma named India's White Ball captain: this is how the world reacts
Rohit Sharma was named ODI and T20I Captain of India on Wednesday. The inaugural bat, who led India in the T20Is against New Zealand, will now assume full-time responsibility as India's limited overs cricket captain. Rohit will replace Virat Kohli in the 50-over format from the three-game ODI series in South Africa. "The All-India Senior Selection Committee has also decided to appoint Mr. Rohit Sharma as the future captain of the ODI and T20I teams," said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an official statement. Reactions came from across the cricket world as Rohit Sharma was also named deputy captain of Virat Kohli in Tests.
Former English skipper Michael Vaughan welcomed the BCCI's decision to hand over the captaincy of the Limited Overs to Rohit Sharma. He wrote: "Very good decision."
ICC welcomed the BCCI's decision to appoint Rohit as the limited over format captain, calling it the "dawn of a new era" and wrote: "Virat Kohli - Rohit Sharma. Beginning of a new era for Indian men's cricket with limited edition."
Well-known cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle explained how Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid will advance the game in the country with a possible rationale. He wrote:
"No matter how great a player Virat Kohli is, now is the time to turn to him. It is inevitable that he will feel a sense of loss. It is always difficult with two captains when both are playing all formats and it is critical, Dravid, Kohli and Rohit feel good and have a common vision. "
Senior sports journalist Ayaz Memon also highlighted the future role of Rahul Dravid for the Indian cricket team. He wrote:
"In this transitional period in Indian cricket, when the captain's armband is being filled for different formats and the changing room dynamics are changing, Rahul Dravid plays a major role in the interplay between #ViratKohli and #RohitSharma: as a buffer, bridge and big brother."
India's senior selection committee also confirmed that Rohit has replaced Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain for the three-game test series in South Africa from December 26th. Rahane retained his place in the squad, however. Top players like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, who were rested in the two-game home series against New Zealand, celebrated a comeback at the side as expected.
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“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has selected an 18-person squad for the upcoming 3-game test series against South Africa from December 26, 2021. The test series will be part of the new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. "said BCCI.
India's test team: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj.
Standby players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
BCCI also confirmed that Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Rahul Chahar were all out due to injury.
"The following players were not eligible for selection due to injuries and are currently in rehabilitation: Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Rahul Chahar," added BCCI.