3 reasons why Rohit Sharma should soon take over ODI captaincy from Virat Kohli

After recording a historic 5-0 win in the T20I series, no one would have expected Team India to be whitewashed by New Zealand in the succeeding ODI series. The Kiwis pulled off their highest successful run chase in the series opener before they successfully defended a score of 273 runs and then, they chased down 297 runs in the final ODI to complete a clean sweep.

Talking about the individual performances of the Indian players, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah disappointed the most as the former could not play a single match-winning knock while the latter failed to take a single wicket in the series. Also, there were several tactical errors that the Indian captain committed and this once again has raised a question over Virat Kohli’s captaincy skills.

His deputy, Rohit Sharma is billed to be a better skipper than Kohli and here are 3 reasons why he should soon take over the reins of the ODI team:

1. Next World Cup is still 3 years away

The reason why now is the right time to crown Rohit Sharma as the new captain is that the next ICC World Cup is still 3 years away. Virat has struggled to lead the team in pressure situations and the same was visible in the 2017 Champions Trophy final as well as the 2019 World Cup semi-final.

Rohit, on the other hand, knows how to keep calm in such situations as he has led India to the Hero Nidahas Trophy title and the Asia Cup. The IPL records of both the players further clears the picture as to who is the better captain.

While Royal Challengers Bangalore struggle to make it to the playoffs, Mumbai Indians have won the title four times. Although both the sides have top quality players, the captaincy decisions lead them to different positions. Giving Rohit three years time will be adequate before expecting India to win the World Cup.

2. Patience levels

Virat Kohli has often made it clear in his interviews that he sets an example for his players to follow. While there is no doubt in the abilities possessed by Kohli, one should understand that not everyone can match his levels.

In the recently concluded match between India and New Zealand, the fans might have seen how Kohli urged Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw to up their game in the fielding department. This, instead, put them under pressure and they committed silly errors in the field.

This kind of aggression is acceptable in T20 cricket however, in the 50-overs format one needs to show a little more patience with the players. Rohit Sharma is a leader who knows the ability of his players and he does not pressurize them to match his own performances. Thus, there is a need for a change because of the patience levels.

3. Expressing confidence in players

If one has a look at Mumbai Indians and even Chennai Super Kings, two of IPL’s most successful franchises, one will know that they retain their core in all matches which is why they have a high win percentage. Virat Kohli does not express the same amount of confidence in all the players.

He keeps on changing his squad. Recently, the cricket universe saw the return of the out-of-form Kedar Jadhav in the ODI team while Manish Pandey, who showcased his form in the T20I series warmed the bench in the first ODI matches. Even Mohammed Shami did not get a place in the team.

Rohit has played a huge role in the upliftment of players like Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and many others. He has been winning matches in IPL with even Mitchell McClenaghan’s services. This shows that he possesses the knowledge about his players and he backs the right player at the right time. Virat Kohli himself will have to think about his position as the team captain after the whitewash against New Zealand.