‘He is not overawed’ – Ravi Shastri gives his take on Captain Rohit Sharma as Hitman succeeds Virat Kohli

Team India got a new ODI captain in the form of Rohit Sharma on Wednesday evening (December 8). The BCCI made the official announcement as there were speculations that Virat Kohli was on the verge of losing ODI captaincy after stepping down as the T20I captain recently.

As per reports, Kohli was given a 48-hours deadline by the BCCI to officially announce him stepping down as the ODI captain. However, the the Indian cricket board went ahead with the decision to name Rohit as Kohli’s successor in ODIs after the 33-year-old remained mum and didn’t officially step aside. While speculations are rife, Indian cricket is heading into a new era under Rohit Sharma in the shorter formats.

Ravi Shastri, who served as India’s team director from 2014-2016 and then as head coach from mid-2017 to late 2021, opened up on Captain Rohit and also spoke highly of both ‘superstars’ Kohli and Hitman.

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“Rohit is not overawed; he always does what is best for the team. He marshalls all the resources of the team unlike, let’s say, in football,” Shastri told The Week in an interview.

He added, “In 2014, when I first came in, there was only one big player – MS Dhoni. Who else was there? Who was superstar material? Virat, and maybe Rohit Sharma, in white-ball cricket. To see these two guys come through and become great players in red- and white-ball cricket, to have a great fast-bowling attack, to beat Australia in their backyard – there have been so many firsts with this team. It is overwhelming.”

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Rohit Sharma will now lead Team India in ODIs and T20Is whereas he has also been promoted as the vice-captain in Tests. Kohli, on the other hand, remains in-charge of the Test side but has been relived of leadership duties in the limited-overs format. 

At present, India is gearing up to tour South Africa where they will play three Tests and ODIs each. The tour opener will commence on December 26.