Rohit Sharma was hesitant to take over India’s Test captaincy after Virat Kohli: Sourav Ganguly

After Virat Kohli gave up the coveted position, Rohit Sharma was hesitant to captain India in Test cricket, according to former captain and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) President Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly stated that the board needed to persuade Rohit.

The board wants Kohli to stay in charge, Ganguly stated in a recent interview. The latter, however, had already decided to resign. Rohit was already leading India in white-ball cricket, according to the former player, who persuaded him to take over in the game’s longest format.

“Virat did not want to continue, even though we always wanted him to be captain. And it was just that. He was the 50-over T20 captain. Virat Kohli was the Test captain at the time and concluded in South Africa, thus we required a test captain. I always thought Rohit was an excellent captain. I told him, “You know you should captain in test matches,” which was certainly the board’s wish. Due to his workload, he was hesitant,” Ganguly told PTI.

Then, of course, Rohit Sharma entered the picture as the Mumbai Indians’ captain.

However, I recall talking to him about how you don’t want to end your career without leading India in test matches. That really resonated with him, and after a few days, he finally agreed. He is a highly amiable and adaptable guy who will agree, accept, and carry out actions if you talk to him. He went on, “And why wouldn’t anyone want to participate in this test game?

In 24 Test matches, Rohit captained India, winning 12, losing 9, and drawing 3. In 2023, he led India to the World Test Championship (WTC) finals. The 37-year-old said goodbye to the red-ball format last month after participating in 67 Test matches, amassing 4301 runs at an average of 40.58, and amassing 12 tonnes and 18 fifties.