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Ever since India captain Virat Kohli has decided to step down from the position of leading in the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup 2021, several reports have been doing the rounds which paint a dismal picture of the state of affairs inside the Indian men's cricket team's dressing room. While Kohli has specifically mentioned that he will continue to lead the ODI and Test team, few cricket experts believe that Virat will have to let go of the ODI captaincy as well, especially in the case of the team not winning the ICC event in the Middle East.
Fresh reports carried in the Telegraph India claim that the 32-year-old wants to hold on to the captaincy of at least one white-ball format as stepping down entirely as the skipper of the limited-overs national team could impact his brand value. However, market experts do not believe this is the truth as they pointed out that Sachin Tendulkar's brand value never got impacted even after he quit captaincy.
"Sachin Tendulkar’s endorsements never went down even when he gave up captaincy. The same applies for Virat Kohli. If he gives up ODI captaincy too, it might make a small dent but nothing dramatic," Managing Director of Creatigies Communications Navroze D Dhondy, said as mentioned in a CricTracker article.
BCCI yet to officially announce Virat's replacement at the helm in T20Is after World Cup
However, ever since the announcement has been made by Kohli, there hasn't been any comment made regarding the matter from the BCCI as a body. Both BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah thanked and praised Virat Kohli for his tremendous contribution as a leader in the shortest format and asserted that there is a clear path that they have envisioned the future of Indian cricket. However, there was no word on the fate of the ODI captaincy.
For Tests, Kohli certainly seems to be the favourites to continue as the leader given his impressive record in recent years and the lack of an equally impressive alternative. While Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane did help India win the Series Down Under in 2020-21, he himself has been terribly out of form in recent innings.
Moreover, the BCCI has also not yet officially announced Rohit as the replacement for Kohli at the helm. However, with the experience and his records which prove his credentials as a captain in T20 cricket, he is likely to get the nod ahead of anyone else. For now, the team would look to win the World Cup.