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Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes it will be a "shame" and Indian cricket's "loss" if top opener Rohit Sharma isn't considered for the full-time captaincy of the national team in the sport's shorter formats.
Rohit on Tuesday led Mumbai Indians to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title after they defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final in Dubai.
The 32-year-old topscored with a fluent 68 as Mumbai cemented their position as the IPL's most successful team. "If Rohit Sharma doesn't become India's captain, it's their loss, not Rohit's," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo.
"Yes, a captain is only as good as his team and I completely agree with that, but what are the parameters to judge a captain on who is good and who isn't? The parameters and benchmark should be the same. Rohit has led his team to five IPL titles."
Virat Kohli leads India across all formats, while Rohit usually deputises for him in limited-overs cricket. Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are yet to win an IPL title in 13 seasons, were eliminated in the playoffs.
Gambhir had earlier said that RCB should remove Kohli as skipper and appoint someone else.
"We keep saying M.S. Dhoni is India's most successful captain. Why? Because he has won two World Cups and three IPLs," Gambhir said. "Rohit has won five IPL titles. He is the most successful captain in the history of the tournament.
"Going forward, it'll be a shame if he doesn't get India's white-ball or just T20 captaincy because he can't do much more than this.
"He can only help the team he captains to victories. So, if he doesn't become India's regular white-ball captain, it will be their loss."
Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles, said Rohit is a significantly better captain than Kohli in cricket's shorter formats.
"Why can't you have split captaincy? It's not a bad idea," said Gambhir. "I'm not suggesting Kohli is a terribly bad captain but both got the same platform and you can judge who's better. For me, Rohit Sharma stands out as leader."
Mumbai had earlier won the tournament in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also pointed out that Rohit is a fantastic man-manager and leader and should lead India in T20Is.
"Without question Rohit Sharma should be the India T20 captain... fantastic man manager & leader... & he knows exactly how to win T20 games," Vaughan tweeted. "It would also give Virat chance to take a breather and just be the player... it works for all other teams around the world."
England and Australia have successfully experimented with split-captaincy. Gambhir's former India teammate Virender Sehwag termed Mumbai Indians the "best T20 franchise" in the world. "The best T20 franchisee in the world and the best captain in the format. Deserving winners, Mumbai Indians," Sehwag tweeted.
Despite Gambhir's suggestion, the Indian board (BCCI) is unlikely to look beyond Kohli as India's captain in all formats.
Rohit is not part of the limited-overs squad which will be facing Australia in three ODIs and as many T20Is starting on Nov 27.
The selectors have ostensibly rested him as he is recovering from a hamstring injury. He has been selected for the Test matches, which will be played after the limited-overs fixtures, three of which Kohli is set to miss as he will be on paternity leave.
However, the Times of India reported that Rohit will be able to travel to Australia only if he is declared fit by the Indian team's physio Nitin Patel. "Unless Patel and the National Cricket Academy declare him fit, Rohit is not going to Australia," said a BCCI source.
"However, we're keen to see that Rohit is fit in time for the Test series, considering that Virat has written to the board that he may miss as many as three Tests due to personal reasons in January."
Rohit missed four IPL matches due to the injury. Upon his return, the Mumbai captain said that his hamstring was absolutely fine.
Former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar expressed concern over the discrepancy in the medical reports of the Mumbai Indians and BCCI physios.
"Rohit surprisingly sees himself being dropped from the Indian team for the Australia tour because the BCCI physio has ruled him out due to a hamstring injury," said Vengsarkar. "Now, the question is: How did the Mumbai Indian physio declare Rohit fit to play in the IPL?
"Why is there a discrepancy in the reports of two physios?"
Indo-Asian News Service, Reuters
"I'm not suggesting Kohli is a terribly bad captain but both got the same platform and you can judge who's better. For me, Rohit Sharma stands out as leader." - Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir
