 "India captain Rohit Sharma dons the official jersey for the ICC Champions Trophy. Image credit: BCCI")
Rohit Sharma should continue leading till the 2027 ICC World Cup even if the Men in Blue don’t win the Champions Trophy, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif said on Wednesday. Rohit has already retired from Twenty20 Internationals and his future in the Test setup remains uncertain after his disastrous run as captain and batter in recent months.
The ‘Hitman’ however, was at his best in both roles in the recently-concluded ODI series against England at home, which came as great news for Indian cricket fans. The hosts swept the series 3-0 and Rohit starred in one of those wins with a match-winning century .
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Kaif, who represented India in 13 Tests and 125 ODIs between 2000 and 2006, hailed Rohit’s achievements as captain as something that only a handful have achieved in the sport.
“What Rohit Sharma has achieved as a captain isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. He led India to the final of the 2023 World Cup. India did not play too many ODIs after that, and are now competing in the Champions Trophy.
“Even if God forbid India underperform in the Champions Trophy, it is the coaches who are more likely to be in trouble, and not Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma will continue playing ODIs,” the 44-year-old said on Cricket With Kaif.
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More ShortsThe former middle-order batter, who was also one of the best fielders of his generation, added that
“One simply cannot question him when it comes to ODIs. He’s in superb form, just scored a century, is leading and managing the team well and his record in ODIs in fantastic. His winning percentage as captain in ODIs is also among the best.
“So I believe Rohit will remain safe and continue playing till the 2027 World Cup even if the Indian team performs badly,” Kaif added.
India begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on Thursday, 20 February and later face arch-rivals Pakistan and New Zealand on 23 February and 2 March respectively. Having refused to travel to Pakistan, India will be playing all of their matches in Dubai.
As for Rohit’s record in ICC events, he led India to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia followed by a runner-up finish in the 2023 ICC World Cup at home, in which the Men in Blue won all of their matches by convincing margins before losing to Australia in the final in Ahmedabad.
The 37-year-old would then help India end their 11-year drought in ICC events by winning the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean.