Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Split captaincy in the Indian cricket team has been quite a topic for all veteran cricketers and analysts of the game. While few have agreed to the notion, backing the presence of Rohit Sharma to lead in limited-overs cricket, while others have felt the want to give incumbent captain Virat Kohli and lengthy run. Earlier this week, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody opined on the subject, giving a nod to the idea only preserve the longevity of Kohli.
During an interaction with Harsha Bhogle for Cricbuzz, Moody said, "On the [split] captaincy, it really depends. Like for England, Eoin Morgan is not a Test player, he has been, but he is not recognised as a Test player, he is a specialist white-ball cricketer. So it works for them pretty easily, it’s a natural transition."
He further pointed out, "With India’s example, which is probably the most high profile example, the only reason I would prefer split captaincy there is purely to preserve the longevity of Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli is a superstar, we all know that. And he is an absolute delight to watch, to compete, as a captain and as a batsman.
But if you took the white-ball captaincy away from him, for instance, the question and discussion should be can we have this special talent for longer? Because the role of the captain in three formats in any country is a significant role, but in India, it’s another league."
He added, "It’s a completely different pressure. And I would be concerned that if Kohli maintains all the three captaincy roles, are we losing two-three years of international cricket from one of the game’s greatest-ever players?" questioned Moody.
The split-captaincy notion began following Rohit's success with two second-string sides in Asia Cup 2018, preceded by the Nidahas Trophy. Besides he has had an excellent win percentage as a captain in matches he had led in absence of Kohli while those backing him have also brought up his numbers as an IPL captain.
Split-captaincy in the Indian cricket team, might still be a distant reality given that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had rubbished off the idea.
