Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to a record fifth Indian Premier League title as they beat Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets on Tuesday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The skipper impressed many as he extended his record of never losing an IPL final. Out of many, cricketer turned politician Gautam Gambhir was fascinated with Rohit's performance, who not only led the side with shrewd captaincy, but also scripted another half-century.
Rohit played his 200th IPL game in which he also managed to achieve new milestones. He is the second Indian cricketer to reach that milestone after Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni.
Following the empathic win, Gambhir, and former England captain Michael Vaughan, called for Rohit to take on India's T20 captaincy. The former Indian opener also said that it would be a "shame" if Rohit does not get the role.
"If Rohit Sharma doesn't become India's captain, it's their loss, not Rohit's," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo's T20 Time Out programme.
"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 (MI) to five IPL titles.
"We keep saying MS 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," he added.
Vaughan, meanwhile, took to twitter to back Rohit for the leadership role in T20 format.
"Without question, Rohit Sharma should be the Indian T20 captain. Fantastic man-manager & leader. And he knows exactly how to win T20 games. It would also give Virat a chance to take a breather and just be the player it works for all other teams around the world," he wrote.
Another former India opener Virender Sehwag also offered immense praise for Rohit.
"Ab to aadat si hai sabko aise dhone ki. The best T 20 franchisee in the world and the best captain in the format. Deserving winners , Mumbai Indians, koi shak. Amazingly well organised tournament despite various challenges."
The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)