Picture Credit: Twitter/@BCCI
India's limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma has given his first interview to the BCCI TV after taking over as the captain of India in One Day Internationals. While he was already handed the captaincy in T20Is after Virat Kohli's decision to step down as the leader in that format after the T20 World Cup 2021, he replaced Kohli as the skipper in the 50-over format despite Kohli expressing his desire to continue to lead in that form of the game.
And in a short glimpse of the new India white-ball captain, Rohit can be seen saying that while the pressure will always be there, it is important that he focuses on the job at hand and not think too much about anything else.
"The pressure will always be there. As a cricketer, it is important to focus on my job." SPECIAL - @ImRo45's first interview after being named #TeamIndia’s white-ball captain coming up on http://BCCI.TV. ?️ Stay tuned for this feature ⌛," the short clip is captioned on BCCI's social media handle.
Check out the video here:
While there is a section of cricket pundits and fans who are not too pleased with Kohli's sacking as the skipper despite his impressive numbers, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that he is hopeful of Rohit leading the team successfully.
"Of course. That’s why the selectors have backed him (on whether he is hopeful of Rohit leading the squad successfully). He will find a way to do well and I hope he does," Ganguly told News18.
"His record for IPL (Mumbai Indians) is phenomenal… winning five titles. He captained India in Asia Cup a couple of years ago which India won as well, and India won without Kohli. To win a title without him spoke volumes of that team’s strength. So he has had success in big tournaments. He has a good team. So hopefully they can all turn it around," the former India captain added.
Rohit's first job as ODI skipper would be the three-match series against South Africa in an away tour. However, that will be played after the Test matches where Kohli continues to be at the helm.