Indian Cricket Overhaul: Rahul Dravid tight-lipped on Rohit Sharma future, says 'Not aware of split captaincy, Ask selectors'

Indian Cricket Overhaul: IND vs NZ LIVE: India have opted for a T20 reboot following their T20 World Cup exit in November. Rohit Sharma is currently the all-format captain, but it is Hardik Pandya who has led the T20I side in the last three bilateral series. The Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has however remained quiet on India’s spilt captaincy debate. Follow India Cricket LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN

“Not that I am aware of. That’s a question you need to ask the selectors but as of now, I don’t think so,” said Rahul Dravid on the captaincy in his press conference.

Also Read: India Captaincy Change: Rohit Sharma likely to retire from one format after ODI World Cup, Hardik Pandya & KL Rahul to share split captaincy, Follow LIVE Updates

Indian Cricket Overhaul: Rahul Dravid remains tight-lipped on India T20 reboot, Rohit Sharma future, says ‘Not aware of split captaincy, Ask selectors’ – Follow IND vs NZ LIVE

BCCI is playing the waiting game for India captaincy. While the focus is on ICC World Cup 2023, some in the Indian board understand that Rohit Sharma will retire from one or two formats after the World Cup. Hardik Pandya is set to take over from Rohit in ODIs. India will complete the split captaincy with KL Rahul taking charge of the Test team.

Suggestions of split captaincy are already underway with Hardik having led the team well in T20s. Senior stars KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were omitted from the squad for the NewZealand series. India are yet to lose a series under Hardik’s captaincy. He was also promoted to ODI vice-captaincy, replacing KL Rahul.

“Of course, there is always a succession plan. But it’s not the time to talk about future captaincy. Rohit is our captain and anything after that will be discussed after World Cup. Rohit may take a call on his future after the World Cup. Hardik has been given the vice-captaincy of ODIs with the idea that he can take charge in future,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.

Rahul Dravid meanwhile remains effusive in his praise of Rohit Sharma. Despite no titles under his captaincy, Dravid backs the Hit-Man as the captain of the side. The 35-year-old ahs struggled for runs, having not scored a hundred in ODIs since 2020.

“Its great to have Rohit Sharma leading the team, he has an all-round game, when he is playing well, you can’t bowl fast & short at him, he take down the spinners – he has been fantastic, even in last few games, it has been terrific to see him bat,” said Dravid in his press conference.

Indian Cricket Overhaul: Rahul Dravid remains tight-lipped on India T20 reboot, Rohit Sharma future, says ‘Not aware of split captaincy, Ask selectors’ – Follow IND vs NZ LIVE

BCCI isn’t totally convinced on KL Rahul as the next Test captain. However, he is the best option along with Rishabh Pant. But with Rishabh Pant set for a lengthy period on the sidelines, KL Rahul looks set to take over Test captaincy. InsideSport earlier reported that BCCI will sit with Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and the selection committee on Rohit’s future after the World Cup.

“KL Rahul is the vice-captain in Tests and by that, you can understand the succession plan. Pujara and Rishabh are both there. So, there is no dearth of options in vice-captaincy. But we will cross the bridge when we get there,” the BCCI official said.

India Cricket Overhaul after World Cup?

The overhaul is underway, albeit silently.
BCCI has moved Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and all senior players away from T20s to focus on ODIs and Tests.
With World Cup 2023, one cycle will end.
As Rohit will turn 36 by then, he will be in the twilight of cricketing career.
Rohit is likely to take a call on his career and could vacate his spot in the ODI team.
Hence, BCCI will have to look for options.
Hardik Pandya is back to his peak fitness and in him, India have found a real option for white-ball captaincy.
Instead of one captain for all formats, BCCI is going back to the split captaincy option that existed before Virat Kohli took charge.
Even though selectors did not agree at that time, scheduling and workload management have made it almost impossible for a player to play all three formats with the same intensity.
As Hardik has already taken charge of the T20 team, he will succeed Rohit Sharma in ODIs.

While BCCI hasn’t made an official announcement regarding a change in T20 captaincy, broadcasters and people in the BCCI are already clear on who is India’s captain in the shortest format. The selection committee has already sent a message, promoting Hardik as the vice-captain, dropping KL Rahul following a string of poor shows.

“Hardik is doing well as captain. He is young and will only get better. For now, there is no better option than him to look at post-Rohit. He must be backed and given a long and consistent rope,” the official said.