Sunil Gavaskar Backs Rohit Sharma to Captain India at This T20 WC, And The Next

With two T20 World Cups in two years, Gavaskar has said it will work better for India to have one captain leading.

Sunil Gavaskar has said he thinks Rohit Sharma should lead India at this T20 World Cup itself.

(Photo: BCC/)

While Virat Kohli may have announced his decision to step down from India's T20I captaincy at the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup that starts next month, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has said he feels Rohit Sharma would be the right person to lead the team at this T20 WC and also the next one, in 2022.

"I think Rohit Sharma for the next two World Cups. You could say they (World Cups) are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don't want to change too many captains at this particular stage. Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups," said Gavaskar on 'Cricket Connected' show on Star Sports.

Sharma is tipped to take over as India's new T20I captain after Virat Kohli steps down after the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the UAE and Oman in October and November. Sharma has won the IPL trophy for Mumbai Indians five times as a captain. In Indian colours, he captained the team when they won the 2018 Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup.

Gavaskar also mentioned the names of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the role of vice-captaincy, while speaking at length about Pant's stint as a captain for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021.

"And then, I'm looking at KL Rahul for vice-captain. I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind because he has been really impressive in the way he has led a star-studded Delhi team and the bowling changes that he has been making in the T20 format, using Nortje and Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street-smart captain, and you always want a street-smart captain who can read situations and act immediately. So yes, Rahul and Pant are the two guys I would look at as Vice Captains," he said.

(With inputs from IANS)