Aakash Chopra, a former Indian batter, advised Rohit Sharma, an experienced batter and all-format captain, to play more ODIs on Saturday. He also urged the Nagpur-born cricketer to take less rest and keep competing. Aakash Chopra further emphasized that the team’s time for experimentation has come to an end.
Only six ODIs have been won by India under the leadership of Rohit Sharma since he became the team’s all-format captain over a year ago. KL Rahul has captained the Men in Blue in six ODIs, while Shikhar Dhawan has led India in seven ODIs, including the current one against New Zealand in Kiwiland.
By the time the recent series against the Black Caps is over, Dhawan will have actually captained India in nine ODIs. Dasun Shanaka will serve as the team’s captain when Sri Lanka faces Afghanistan. Jos Buttler continued to serve as England’s captain when they played Australia. Pat Cummins led Australia in two of those three games despite some substitutions and lineup alterations by Australia.
Why do we replace our captains so often if every team in the world is playing with their original captain? Chopra claimed on his YouTube channel that the query was legitimate. Only two ODI series—against the West Indies and England—have seen Rohit Sharma captain India. He has also missed five ODI series, including both home and away matches against South Africa.
With the exception of the early-year South Africa series, Rohit was eligible for selection in all other series but was rested. As part of the workload management, others like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami have also had regular pauses.
In truth, Rahul Dravid and his support staff were granted a vacation after India’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia, in addition to the veterans who were rested for the match against New Zealand. Former India coach Ravi Shastri has criticized the decision to rest Rahul Dravid and his support staff.
The organization of the team is the captain’s responsibility. It helps a lot to have a consistent captain and coach since you get to know everyone on the squad better the more time you spend with the group. If your skipper is never accessible, whether, in the West Indies, Zimbabwe, or most recently New Zealand, there is an issue.
India’s past three ODI series were captained by Shikhar Dhawan. He’ll unexpectedly no longer be the captain when you travel to Bangladesh. Both the skipper and the openers will change. Your preparations are therefore inadequate when there are so many changes, according to Chopra. Chopra said that the seniors could take a break during the IPL season if they required one.
“Now is too late to continue experimenting. Rohit Sharma, who would likely serve as our captain for the ODI World Cup in 2023, should take a few rests and keep competing. Use the IPL as a break if you require it. The 45-year-old proclaimed, “If Team India is serious about winning the World Cup, they should start playing their strongest XI as frequently as possible.