Not Rohit Sharma! Ex-KKR Team Director Wants 30-Year-Old Mumbai Indians Star To Lead India In T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma is all set to lead India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit did not play T20I cricket since the T20 World Cup in 2022, however, the loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final forced BCCI to bring veterans Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the T20I set-up, with both featuring in the T20I series against Afghanistan. Jay Shah later confirmed Rohit Sharma as captain of the Indian cricket team for the mega event in the West Indies and USA.

There has been a massive debate if Virat Kohli deserves a place in the India T20I squad given his approach to the game, however, Kohli has made a massive statement by scoring over 400 runs in the tournament already. Rohit, on the other hand, has blown hot and cold.

Meanwhile, former KKR team director Joy Bhattacharjya has sparked a fresh debate and said Roht Sharma should not have been named the India captain for the T20 World Cup. Bhattacharya instead wanted to see Jasprit Bumrah lead the team in the marquee event.

“The decision to appoint Rohit Sharma as India’s captain for the T20 World Cup may have hampered the team. At this point, Sharma is not the ideal choice to lead the team in the T20I format,” he said on Cricbuzz.

“I would choose Jasprit Bumrah over Rohit Sharma as captain because Bumrah’s skill as a bowler makes him a vital member of the team," he said.

Bhattacharjya slammed Rohit Sharma for his low returns in IPL 2024 and said that Rohit's presence at the top would force someone between Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, or Shubman Gill to bat down the order.

"I have the utmost respect for Rohit Sharma and I think he is an amazing cricketer. However, he is currently out of batting form. Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill are in better form right now and are strong contenders for the opening positions. However, since Sharma is the captain, he will open, meaning one of those in-form players will have to bat lower down the order,” he added.

The India squad selection will present numerous challenges to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. The selectors will be in a dilemma of going in with a tried and tested combination or bringing fresh faces to the squad. A few regulars like Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, and Shreyas Iyer have been very ordinary in IPL 2024 while the likes of Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, and Abhishek Sharma have exceeded expectations.