Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has made a surprising revelation about Rohit Sharma's elevation to all-format captaincy. Ganguly has revealed that he gave the swashbuckling opening batter an ultimatum as Rohit was not keen on succeeding Virat Kohli in the role.
Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain of Team India in T20Is after the T20 World Cup in 2021; however, he highlighted his desire to continue in ODIs. Nevertheless, the BCCI sprang a surprise by removing Kohli as the ODI captain for the series after the T20 World Cup and the 35-year-old stepped down as the Test skipper in 2022 after their defeat in South Africa.
Speaking to Kolkata TV, Ganguly opined that Rohit was the most worthy candidate after Kohli vacated the captaincy spot and reflected that it was the correct decision.
"Rohit Sharma was not keen on becoming captain of the Indian team. It had gone to a stage where I had to issue an ultimatum that either you say yes or I will announce it to the world. I did it because he is an outstanding captain. After Virat Kohli vacated the position, he was the best man to lead India. And I am not surprised that he is doing well."
"I don't know why he was hesitant" - Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly reckoned that Rohit Sharma might have rejected the idea of becoming a captain due to a lot being on the plate, adding:
"I don't know why he was hesitant, but it could be due to the amount of cricket that he has been playing. Test, ODI, T20I and then the IPL, there is lot of cricket and lot of pressure already. Rohit had a lot on his plate and I am very happy that he is doing well."
The Rohit Sharma-led India will lock horns against the Netherlands on Sunday, November 12th in Bengaluru.
