The former Indian skipper and former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has disclosed that Rohit Sharma was initially hesitant to take over India’s Test captaincy after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role in December 2022.
At the time, Sourav Ganguly was serving as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and played a central role in persuading Rohit Sharma to embrace the challenge, highlighting the honour of leading the country in the longest format of the game.
Virat Kohli’s departure from the role marked a significant turning point. Already having relinquished T20I captaincy and being removed from the ODI captaincy in line with the BCCI’s approach of appointing a single captain across both white-ball formats, his decision to step down as Test skipper following India’s series loss in South Africa came as a surprise. Though he had been one of India’s most successful Test captains, there was no clear successor in place, not even Rohit Sharma, who was already leading the team in limited-overs formats.
In an interview, Sourav Ganguly reflected on the situation and explained the background behind Rohit’s appointment. He noted that Vriat Kohli’s resignation left the board in need of a new leader for the red-ball format. He recalled that the board always wanted Virat to remain test captain but he wasn’t interested in continuing. With Rohit Sharma leading Mumbai Indians and already handling T20 and ODI responsibilities, Sourav Ganguly approached him to take on the Test role. Initially, Rohit Sharma expressed concerns about managing the workload.
Sourav Ganguly recounted that it took a personal appeal to change Rohit Sharma’s mind. He told him that he shouldn’t end his career without having experienced the privilege of captaining India in Test matches. That thought seemed to resonate with Rohit. After taking a few days to consider the offer, he agreed.
According to Ganguly, Rohit is a cooperative and adaptable individual who, when engaged in honest conversation, is open to taking up responsibility. Ganguly believed that no one would want to pass up the opportunity to captain in the traditional format of the game.
Rohit Sharma went on to lead India in 24 Test matches, guiding the team to 12 wins while suffering nine defeats. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that the BCCI was planning a shift in leadership to usher in a younger face and soon after, Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket.
Shubman Gill has since been appointed as the new Test captain, stepping into the shoes once worn by both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the latter of whom has also now retired from the format.
