WTC Final takes place on June 7 between India and Australia at The Oval. While Rohit Sharma will lead Team India, Ravi Shastri has backed Virat Kohli to command the side if the former misses out, and here's why.
While the Indian cricketers are currently focused on the continuing Indian Premier League (IPL), they will turn their attention to international cricket in June, with Team India's first post-IPL commitment being the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final, to be played on June 7 at The Oval in London against Australia.
The Indian squad for the one-off Test against the Australians was announced by the All-India Senior Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday. While Rohit Sharma will be leading the pack as usual, his struggle in form with former five-time record champion Mumbai Indians (MI) saw Ravi Shastri suggest that he takes a break from the sport.
Provided Rohit missed out, Shastri feels that former skipper Virat Kohli will be the perfect guy to lead India, as he said, "If it's for a significant game like that, I want Rohit to be fit, he is the captain. But god forbid something happens under unforeseen circumstances. I'll look in that direction."
"Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would captain. Rahul [Dravid] might have done the same thing if I was still there. I have not spoken to him - I would've recommended to the board that it's only fair he leads because he was captain of the team that was leading 2-1 in the series and probably could have got the best out of the team," Shastri recalled while talking to ESPNCricinfo about last year' postponed fifth Test in England, where pacer Jasprit Bumrah led India with Rohit missing out.
"He's [Kohli] in a perfect space, enjoying his cricket. That's the feeling I got as opposed to last year when we sat and discussed whether he needed a break. He seemed to have the whole world's burden on his shoulders. Now, it's refreshing. The enthusiasm, passionate energy and enjoyment have returned, which was the best thing to see. You might or might not get runs, but when you see someone, and the passion, enjoyment and drive are back again, it's good," concluded Shastri.