Rohit Sharma Initially Hesitant To Accept India Captaincy, Says Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has disclosed that Rohit Sharma was initially hesitant to take on the role of India's captain. It required significant encouragement from Ganguly and the BCCI board to convince him to lead the team.

India is set to face South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final on Saturday, June 29. Rohit Sharma will be leading the team, marking their third ICC final within a year under his leadership.

The former BCCI president shared that Rohit needed persuasion for the captaincy role after Virat Kohli stepped down. Ganguly mentioned, "He became captain when I was the BCCI president and when Virat didn't want to captain India anymore. It took a lot of time to make him captain because he was ready, but it took a lot of pushing from all of us to make him captain."

Ganguly praised Rohit's leadership qualities and his journey back into prominence. Despite being removed as captain of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, where he had led them to five title wins, Rohit has now guided India to an unbeaten run into another World Cup final.

"I'm very happy for Rohit Sharma. Life comes full circle. Six months ago, he wasn't even captain of the Mumbai Indians, and now the same man is leading India to a World Cup final, unbeaten. He has played in two World Cup finals where he has gone into the final unbeaten. That speaks of his captaincy and leadership quality, and I'm not surprised," Ganguly said at an event on Friday.

Rohit Sharma's appointment as India's captain came after Virat Kohli decided to step down from the position. The transition required considerable effort from Ganguly and others at BCCI to convince Rohit to accept the role.

Upcoming Challenge

Rohit is eager to secure a victory for India after facing defeats in two previous ICC finals under his leadership. Last July, India lost to Australia in the WTC Final, followed by another loss against Australia in the World Cup 2023 Final last November.

Ganguly expressed satisfaction with Indian cricket's progress under Rohit's leadership. He stated, "I'm very happy to see the progress of Indian cricket under him."

The upcoming T20 World Cup final presents another opportunity for Rohit Sharma to demonstrate his leadership skills and potentially lead India to victory.

The journey from reluctance to acceptance showcases Rohit's growth as a leader and his dedication towards Indian cricket.