Stalwart former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has suggested that recently appointed Indian all-format skipper Rohit Sharma could be relieved of his responsibilities as T20I captain. Sehwag feels that the lighter workload will allow the six-time Indian Premier League champion to prolong his career and reduce the load on his body.
Rohit has not been able to consistently feature in all of India’s games after taking charge of all three sides, with injuries and workload management taking him out of action. The Mumbai Indians skipper is also likely to be ruled out of the final Test match of the England series, which was postponed from last year, as the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic ravaged the world.
Rohit tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the Test match against England, which puts him in doubt for the game. Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal has been called up to the squad and is most likely to open the innings along with fellow Karnataka man and previous Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul.
Sehwag feels that now, with a handful of viable options to take over the T20 side, such as Hardik Pandya, who just recently won the IPL with the Gujarat Titans in his first outing as captain, Rahul, and Rishabh Pant, it would be better if Rohit opted out of captaincy in the shortest format, given the concerns over his fitness.
The Sultan of Multan also opined that with three major limited overs competitions in the next two years, it would be of utmost importance for Sharma to preserve his fitness.
“If the team Indian team management has someone else in mind as captain in the T20 captain, then I think, Rohit could be relieved and the following can be taken into consideration going forward.”
“One, that would allow Rohit to manage his workload and mental fatigue, given his age.”
“Two, once someone new is appointed in T20s, it would also allow Rohit to take breaks and rejuvenate himself to lead India in both Tests and ODIs.”
Sehwag said, as per Hindustan Times.
However, Sehwag believes, if the team management decides to continue with this arrangement, Rohit is the man for the job.
