ODI captain of India: Will Virat Kohli continue to lead India in ODIs?

Will Virat Kohli continue to lead India in ODIs: The all-format Indian captain had recently stepped down from T20I captaincy.

Following Virat Kohli’s stepping down as captain of the Indian T20I side, his deputy and most deserving successor Rohit Sharma has been named as the captain for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Most successful Indian Premier League captain, giving the responsibility to Sharma was a straightforward decision for the selection committee. Readers must note that Sharma has already captained India in 19 T20Is which includes leading India in a victorious Nidahas Trophy campaign.

Since Sharma’s elevation as the T20I captain, there have been reports in the media around Sharma also slated to be given the captaincy in ODIs. If the same happens, India will once again have different captains in white-ball and red-ball cricket. The same will help the two captains in managing their workload in a better manner as it will be easier for them to skip a series or two where they aren’t leading.

Will Virat Kohli continue to lead India in ODIs?

Having said that, there has been no confirmation whatsoever from Kohli’s end as far as him quitting from the captaincy role in ODIs is concerned. With India set to play their next ODI against South Africa in Paarl on January 11, the selection committee has some time before taking (or not) a call on the ODI captain.

Speaking in an interview with India Today recently, former head coach Ravi Shastri had opened up on how he thinks Kohli might give away captaincy from another format to concentrate on his batting across formats or just his red-ball captaincy.

“In red-ball cricket, India has been the number one team in the world for the last 5 years under Virat Kohli. So, unless he wants to give up or if he is mentally fatigued and says he wants to focus on his batting – which can happen in the near future, don’t think it will happen immediately – it can happen,” Shastri had told India Today.

“The same might happen with the ODI. He might say he wants to focus just on Test captaincy. It is his mind and body that will make that decision.”

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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