Exclusive: Love to have Rohit Sharma as captain in T20 World Cup, says Piyush Chawla

On expected lines, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested from the white-ball leg of India's tour of South Africa that gets underway on 10 December. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the three T20I matches while KL Rahul will wear the captain’s hat for the three 50-over matches. The development bears extra importance considering the T20 World Cup is just seven months away and there is no clarity on the future of the two stalwarts of Indian cricket. The duo have not played a T20I match since the 2022 T20 World Cup. In Rohit’s absence, Hardik Pandya has been in leadership role. However, an injury has ruled Pandya out with no date on his return. Steering the team in his absence is Suryakumar Yadav. With no certainty on who will lead India in the T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA, former India spinner Piyush Chawla said it is all on Rohit whether he wants to play the format or not. If he does, Chawla backed him to take over the captaincy duties.

#FirstSports with @RuphaRamani

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“Totally depends on him. The kind of impact he had in the 50-over World Cup and the impact as a batter, not only as a captain. I always say, Rohit is not a captain, he’s a leader. He set an example for everyone. The way he was leading the side in the World Cup and the way he was setting the tone in every game. We saw India score 340, 380 runs on difficult pitches. So Rohit was one of the main reasons. The kind of form he has shown, the kind of impact he has shown, I would love to have him as the captain in the T20 World Cup,” said the Mumbai Indians bowler in conversation with Rupha Ramani on First Sports. Suryakumar Yadav is captaining the team in the ongoing T20I series against Australia. After three matches, India lead 2-1. This is Suryakumar’s first assignment as India captain. “We all know he’s a very chilled out kind of guy and he loves his cricket. He is someone who is always there to support the players. And that’s what you want from your captain,” said Chawla on SKY’s captaincy. For India, a big challenge is how they erase the heartbreak suffered in the ODI World Cup. After winning 10 matches in a row, India were beaten by Australia in the final by six-wickets. Not only did it dash India’s quest for a third World Cup, in front of own fans at that, it also extended the team’s drought in ICC tournaments. “We all know how much he was looking forward to captain this World Cup. And the way the team played throughout the World Cup, we all were expecting the Cup will come home. But that didn’t happen. So, he was heartbroken and upset about it. But he’s played so much cricket through his life and knows how to take these defeats. He will move on, you have no choice as a player. You have to get up again and do your training again and start again,” said Chawla on Rohit’s role in the World Cup. With very few T20I matches for India before the T20 World Cup, Chawla stressed on focusing on the Indian Premier League (IPL) to make selections as well. “The team are not supposed to play many matches before the T20 World Cup. But there is the IPL which is a brilliant tournament. For me, T20 is where you have to look at the current form as well. We do talk about the youth but I feel experience is also important. And it depends entirely on Virat and Rohit whether they want to play T20 or not,” he clarified.