Ganguly reveals he forced Rohit Sharma to take up captaincy

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has revealed a surprising fact that Rohit Sharma initially hesitated to assume the role of full-time captaincy following Virat Kohli's decision to step down across all formats. The latter part of 2021 and early 2022 marked a controversial period in Indian cricket when Kohli voluntarily relinquished T20I captaincy but expressed his willingness to continue leading in other formats.

The selectors, however, believed in having a single captain for white-ball cricket and promptly named Rohit as captain for ODIs and T20Is. The unexpected decision to remove Kohli from the ODI captaincy surprised many, and subsequently Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy after India's series loss in South Africa. Rohit Sharma was then appointed as the Test captain as well.

Ganguly, who was the BCCI President at that time disclosed that Rohit was initially reluctant to take on the responsibility of full-time captaincy.

Sourav Ganguly backs his decision

Ganguly had to persuade Rohit to accept the leadership role when there seemed to be no other suitable candidate. However, Ganguly now expresses satisfaction that the Mumbai cricketer is not only contributing with runs at the top but also leading the team effectively.

Sourav Ganguly said in a chat with Kolkata TV, "Rohit Sharma wasn't keen for captaincy. It had gone to a stage where I told, you have to say yes or I'll announce. Because he's been an outstanding captain. After Kohli left, he was the best man to lead Team India."

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Interestingly, Rohit Sharma's aggressive approach at the opening position has proven beneficial for India in the current World Cup. He has amassed 442 runs in eight matches, boasting a strike-rate of 122.78 and hitting 22 sixes.

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