Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman feels split captaincy will not work in Indian cricket. He explained why England have found success with Eoin Morgan and Joe Root as skippers, but India might struggle to do so if they follow the same path.
Many feel Rohit Sharma should lead Team India in white-ball cricket, with him guiding Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. Laxman, in an exclusive interview with News 18, explained why Virat Kohli is the perfect all-format captain for India.
“I have always felt that as long as your captain is not burdened by captaincy and he is someone who enjoys the responsibility without compromising his performances, in this case, Virat the batsman, it should be the same captain for all the formats if he is regular in all the three formats,” said VVS Laxman.
England are one of the teams that have found great success after opting to go the split captaincy way. While Eoin Morgan led the team to their maiden 50-over World Cup triumph in 2019, Joe Root has also done a great job in the whites.
Laxman, however, pointed out England’s squad composition allows them to have two captains, Morgan and Root, something which is not a possibility in Indian cricket.
“In England, the split captaincy works because Joe Root is not a regular in white-ball cricket, or Eoin Morgan is not a Test player. If a captain is all three formats players and on top of that, a performer, it should be one captain,” the 46-year-old added.
Hence, Laxman feels all the chatter around Virat Kohli’s leadership is pointless. He further pointed out how the Test team offers the perfect balance, courtesy of Virat Kohli’s quest for global cricketing supremacy.
“This debate or discussion does not make sense at all. Ultimately, it is Kohli who has defined this team. His positivity, his work ethic have inspired the Indian team and an entire generation of Indian cricketer to become very professional about the game,” Laxman stated.
“Virat is very fortunate to have seniors in the form of Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, and also Ishant and Bumrah in the fast bowling unit, to form a core group. I have always felt that to have a champion side, while you have a designated captain, it is important to have a core group of leaders,” he added.
He signed off by celebrating India’s current squad, saying that the team has a strong core.
“I have always felt that to have a champion side, while you have a designated captain, it is important to have a core group of leaders. This Indian team has that core group. I feel Virat is still the leader of the pack and leads by example.
“And, whenever Rahane and Rohit have got the captaincy, they have impressed everyone with their captaincy and managerial skills. This adds to the depth of the leadership group. The debate is not even required or worth thinking about,” he concluded.