Rohit should captain in T20 World Cup, Virat also should be there: Ganguly

Kolkata: Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday backed stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in India’s squad for the T20I World Cup in June.

The duo, who have not featured in any T20I for about 14 months, have made themselves available for the sport’s shortest format, and it remains to be seen if they are picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, beginning January 11 in Mohali.

“Of course Rohit should captain the team in the T20I World Cup. Virat Kohli also should be there. Virat Kohli is an outstanding player, nothing will happen (even if they are coming back to T20 fold after a long gap),” Ganguly added.

Ganguly lauded Rohit for being a ‘leader’ and stepping up during his tenure as the national captain. The 36-year-old Rohit took over from Virat Kohli as India’s skipper in T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As India’s T20I skipper, Rohit has led the national team to wins in 39 out of 51 matches. He is also four wins away from becoming the most successful captain in T20Is, going past Eoin Morgan, Babar Azam and Asghar Afghan’s tally of 42 wins.

“Rohit Sharma should be the captain of India because he’s done so well in the World Cup. He’s a leader. So I expect, and I presume that he will continue as captain till the T20 World Cup,” Ganguly was quoted as saying to the reporters.

Rohit recently helped India finish as the runners-up in World Cup 2023. India won 10 matches in a row before losing to Australia by six wickets in the final on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rohit played aggressive cricket in the powerplay and often took the Men in Blue off to flying starts. In the final, he scored 47 runs before Glenn Maxwell accounted for his wicket.

After the World Cup, Rohit took a break from the five-match T20I series against Australia and also would not be a part of the ODIs and T20Is on the tour of South Africa. He is expected to return to competitive cricket on India’s two-match Test series against the Proteas that begins on December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.