India ODI captain: Rohit Sharma named ODI captain – Virat Kohli will feel horribly betrayed after the selectors forced him out as ODI skipper after he decided to step down from T20I captaincy. Writings were already there on the wall and now it’s official. InsideSport reported that Virat Kohli would be removed as ODI skipper but BCCI didn’t want to wait long and decided to hand over the entire white-ball captaincy to Rohit Sharma from the South Africa tour onwards. Follow India Tour of South Africa on InsideSport.IN.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams going forward,” BCCI said in a statement on Wednesday.
India ODI captain: Virat Kohli left shell-shocked with selectors & BCCI’s yorker, name Rohit Sharma as ODI captain
When Virat Kohli decided to step down as the T20I captain, it was his intention to continue to lead India in ODIs at least till the 2023 World Cup which India will host. But at a lengthy selection meeting, Kohli was, in a way, forced to swallow the bitter pill.
Virat Kohli as India’s ODI captain:
Matches: 95
Won: 65
Lost: 27
Winning %: 70.43
Runs scored: 5,449
Average: 72.65
India ODI captain: Virat Kohli left shell-shocked with selectors & BCCI’s yorker, name Rohit Sharma as ODI captain
The reason? Continuity. After Virat Kohli stepped down as the T20I captain after the T20 World Cup, BCCI and selectors were against the idea of two skippers in white-ball cricket. In the selection meeting for the South Africa tour, Virat Kohli’s ODI captaincy was the biggest discussion.
“3 Captains for 3 formats will create a lot of confusion. We want the flow of ideas & direction to be very smooth. We feel India should have the same ODI & T20 Captain & Rohit Sharma in the current scheme of things is the best choice. Selectors will take the final call in the next meeting. Whatever good is for the Indian cricket, the decision will be taken accordingly,” a top BCCI official told InsideSport last week.
India ODI captain: Virat Kohli left shell-shocked with selectors & BCCI’s yorker, name Rohit Sharma as ODI captain
Even though many in BCCI didn’t want to take away Kohli’s ODI captaincy right away and wanted to give him 2022 as India wouldn’t be playing many ODIs, they decided against it. With the ODI World Cup in 2023, selectors wanted to have continuity in white-ball cricket.
India ODI captain: Virat Kohli left shell-shocked with selectors & BCCI’s yorker, name Rohit Sharma as ODI captain
The idea of two different captains for T20Is and ODIs didn’t go down well with them as the same players would be reporting to two different captains in white-ball cricket.
“Virat has led the team successfully in ODIs but having two captains in limited-overs cricket can create unnecessary complications as the set of players will be same,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.
Now, it’s official and Kohli might be regrating stepping down from T20 captaincy.
India ODI captain: Virat Kohli left shell-shocked with selectors & BCCI’s yorker, name Rohit Sharma as ODI captain