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Rohit Sharma held back from naming his Test successor but said youngsters need to ‘earn’ the right to take up the job.
Rohit Sharma is not a part of the team for the fifth Test agianst Australia. (AP Photo)
Rohit Sharma wants youngsters to work hard and earn the right to be India’s future Test captains because no one ‘gets it on a plate’. He called it a ‘great honor’ but said before anyone thinks about taking up the high-pressure job, they’ll need to understand the ‘importance of cricket’ first.
Rohit’s comments came in his mid-match interview at the Syndey Cricket Ground (SCG), where he spoke to the broadcasters, Star Sports, about his captaincy future, among other things. He also confirmed that he had only stepped away from this Test and not ‘retired’, while hoping to get back in form in the coming months.
“It is difficult to say,” he said when asked about India’s next captain. “It is very difficult to say. There are many boys. But I want them to understand the importance of cricket first. Understand the importance of this place. They are new boys. I know they should be given responsibility. But let them earn it. Let them play some hard-fought cricket for the next few years or whatever it is. Let them earn it. I am here now. Bumrah is here. Virat was here before him. MS Dhoni was here before him. Everyone has earned it,” he added.
“No one has got it in a plate. No one should get it like this. Let them work hard. There is a lot of talent in the boys. But at the same time, I also want to say that it is not easy to become the captain of India. There is pressure. But it is a great honour. Our history and the way we play cricket has a great responsibility on both shoulders. So let them earn it.”
In Rohit’s absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah led the team in the first match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, which is the only Test India has won in months.
“Of course, he has a lot of game ideas,” Rohit said of Bumrah. “The way he sets an example of his bowling for others, that is class. He has class. He understands the game. He always keeps the team ahead. I have been watching him for the last 11 years. I saw him for the first time in 2013. His graph has also gone up. He has evolved a lot in himself. With his game, with his thinking. The way he is bowling, the whole world is watching. But yes, he has gone strength to strength.”
Bumrah came to the toss at the SCG, too, but picked up an injury on Saturday. Virat Kohli led India in his absence as they bowled Australia out for 181, to take a four-run lead.
- Location :
Sydney, Australia
