Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has opined on the benefits of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s presence in the Indian team, as they might act as the guiding angels for new skipper Shubman Gill, especially with all that international experience they have under their belt.
Indian youngster Shubman Gill has been cited as the all-format skipper for India, and it seemed just the right decision for the Indian management to appoint him as the Indian skipper for the ODI tour to Australia, as he would have the guidance and supervision from his senior pros, who are still part of the side.
Shubman too has often been seen in long and intense conversations alongside former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, amid the match as well as during their time in the dugout.
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will guide Shubman Gill to the top, opines former coach
In a recent interview with PTI, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has opined on why Shubman Gill would find the presence of the Indian greats very useful and get to learn a lot from them.
“That would be very useful for Shubman,” opined Sharma.
“If you remember when Virat took over the captaincy, Mahi (MS Dhoni) was there; he used to guide him and help him a lot. If you remember, in the last over, when Kohli went back to the field at long-on, Mahi would take over the captaincy from behind the wickets,” remembered Rajkumar Sharma.
“You become like an elder brother, a role that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will have to play now for Shubman Gill, since they are such immensely experienced players. They have performed so well for the country; they are legends, I would say. So, it would always be beneficial for the team and Shubman to have them in the team,” he added.
Virat Kohli looked active on the field in Sydney
Unlike the previous two games, Virat has looked much more involved in the third match, as the ball has seemingly followed him wherever he went. From stopping Mitchell Marsh’s bullet shot at covers to taking a sharp catch at an unconventional position near the leg umpire, Kohli has been everywhere.
Matt Short was in disbelief as Kohli took a sharp catch after Short almost drilled the ball through the leg side. Other than the catching part of his activity on the ball, Kohli has been seen talking with the bowlers and advising them of the conditions. He has been taking over the leadership role on multiple occasions, here in Sydney.
Rohit Sharma proved his impact at Adelaide; Is it Kohli’s turn in Sydney?
The two Indian greats will have to perform to restore their place on the Indian side and keep their chances intact until the next World Cup in 2027. Rohit Sharma finally broke the shackles and scored a fancy half-century, and ended up being India’s highest scorer at Adelaide.
However, for Virat Kohli, this has been a nightmare of a series so far, as he got dismissed for two consecutive ducks in the two previous games. Sydney would be the last time Kohli plays on Australian soil, and the batter would look to capitalise on this one final occasion.
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