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“I will probably stick with Rohit Sharma, he is a great leader”: Kevin Pietersen backs Rohit Sharma to be India’s next test captain

Rishikesh Sharma
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"I will probably stick with Rohit Sharma, he is a great leader": Kevin Pietersen backs Rohit Sharma to be India's next test captain

Kevin Pietersen has backed Rohit Sharma to be the captain of India in all formats of the game after Virat Kohli’s resignation.

The news of Virat Kohli’s resignation as the Indian test captain is still a shock to many. When Virat stepped out of T20I captaincy, he said that he want to focus on ODIs and Tests. However, then started the controversy between BCCI and Virat Kohli. He was sacked as the ODI captain with just a tweet. Rohit Sharma was appointed as the captain of ODI and T20I format.

Although, in the test format, Virat had his own aura and he was irreplaceable. In the series against South Africa, India won the first game of the series, but they lost their next two games. South Africa was India’s final frontier, but they could not breach it. On 14th January India lost the series, and on 15th January, Virat resigned as the test captain. After the news, the new test captain debate is at an all-time high. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are the favourites, but Harsha Bhogle also suggested the names of Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul.

Kevin Pietersen backs Rohit Sharma for India’s Test captain

Former English cricketer Kevin Pietersen has backed Rohit Sharma to lead India in the test format. In an interaction with India Today, Kevin Pietersen backed Rohit Sharma. He said that Indian cricket is lucky to have such big names for the leadership role.

“You (India) are so lucky that you have so many options for the captain. I will probably stick with Rohit Sharma,” Pietersen said.

“He is a great leader, I love the authority he commands. He makes fabulous decisions and we’ve seen them with Mumbai Indians, he has won so many titles with them. More importantly, I am really looking forward to how Rahul Dravid is with that team – can he do it with the youngsters, can he do it with the big guys.”

Kevin Pietersen also said the was not surprised about Virat’s resignation as the test captain.

“Virat is an entertainer and for any athlete, it is very difficult to live in these bio bubbles,” Pietersen said to India Today.

“As a player, if you give me no crowd it is very difficult to play. So I am not shocked (at Virat’s decision) When the crowds do come back, you watch Virat Kohli go again.”

About the author

Rishikesh Sharma

Rishikesh Sharma

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An engineering graduate and an ardent sports fan, Rishikesh Sharma is covering cricket for three years now after not making peace with a corporate life and has written more than 5000 articles. While Sourav Ganguly made him fall in love with the sport, Brendon McCullum and Gautam Gambhir enhanced it. Apart from cricket, Rishikesh is a huge fan of Liverpool FC. When not watching sports, you will find him riding around Jaipur.

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