Sourav Ganguly opens up on replacing Kohli with Sharma

Rohit Sharma took over the reins as the full-time captain of the Indian cricket team from Virat Kohli, who stepped down from his leadership roles in Tests and T20Is in 2022. Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has shed light on his decision to replace Virat Kohli with Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Indian men’s cricket team. This change occurred during Ganguly’s tenure when Rohit was entrusted with the captaincy after Kohli’s departure from certain formats. Speculations of a possible discord between Ganguly and Kohli had surfaced previously. Ganguly had disclosed that the BCCI had urged Kohli to reconsider his decision to relinquish the T20I captaincy.

Ganguly explained that he recognized immense potential in Rohit against Kohli, particularly considering his impressive track record in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rohit’s leadership skills were showcased when he guided India to the World Cup final on home soil, although they fell short against Australia in the ultimate match. Ganguly emphasized India’s dominance throughout the tournament and expressed no surprise at Rohit’s adept leadership.

Highlighting Rohit’s recent feat of leading India to a 17th consecutive Test series victory at home, unlike Kohli’s Ganguly commended Rohit’s leadership prowess. Despite an initial setback against England in Hyderabad, India has rallied to a 3-1 lead in the series, with the final match scheduled in Dharamsala from March 7.

On a different front, Rohit recently relinquished his captaincy role at Mumbai Indians, making way for Hardik Pandya to assume leadership responsibilities. Pandya, who previously represented Gujarat Titans, was traded to Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Shubman Gill is set to lead the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, following Rohit’s departure.

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