Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar feels captaincy in red-ball cricket is more difficult than white-ball cricket but claims Rohit Sharma is up to the challenge. The BCCI appointed Rohit as the new captain in the Test format after Virat Kohli decided to step down earlier this year. Kohli finished as India’s most successful captain with 40 wins from 68 Tests and a win-loss ratio of 2.353. Rohit will begin his Test captaincy journey in the two-match series against Sri Lanka and he has to carry forward a huge legacy created by Kohli.
The hitman returned to Team India’s red-ball set-up when Kohli and then head coach Ravi Shastri decided to play him as an opener. Rohit grabbed the opportunity with both hands and cemented his place at the top with consistent performances.
Agarkar feels it will be a huge honor for him to lead the Test side and his stellar batting performance in England last year will help him gain confidence in the leadership.
“First of all, it would be a huge honor for him. Yes, he has led India for a few matches in white-ball cricket not only as a full-time captain but also in the past,” Agarkar told Star Sports.
“The one thing that will do him well is the series he did in England. The batting must have given him a lot of confidence. As a leader, you want to be one of the better players in the team so that you can demand things from other people.”
Rohit did extremely well on the tour of England as he scored 368 runs in 4 Tests, including a century and 2 fifties, and silenced the critics of his overseas performances.
Agarkar further feels that starting a new journey in home conditions will help Rohit.
“Also, he has got the necessary experience in terms of captaincy. Test cricket will be a little different but at least it is making its debut in India where the conditions are familiar. It’s a very strong team that India have, I don’t think it will be a problem for them,” Agarkar said.
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