Yuvraj: Rohit’s appointment as Test skipper was an emotional decision
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Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh believes the BCCI selectors made an emotional judgment in appointing Rohit Sharma as India's full-time Test captain.
Following India's 1-2 loss to South Africa earlier this year, Virat Kohli opted to step aside from the position of captain. Rohit has led the ODI and T20I teams, so his selection as Test captain was a foregone conclusion.
Many people said the BCCI should consider other possibilities because Rohit, 35, was 34 at the time and had a history of ailments.
In recent years, his hamstring concerns have forced him to miss a number of critical games. Despite this, the national selectors chose the opener because he had proven himself to be a capable leader.
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Yuvraj, who played under Rohit during his time at Mumbai Indians, lavished massive praises on the batter’s leadership skills. He also reckons the right-handed batter should have been named the white-ball captain a while ago.
“Excellent leader. I played under him when I was playing for Mumbai Indians. Very good thinker, very good captain. Rohit should have been the captain at least in the white-ball cricket a while ago. But since Virat was doing so well and the team was also doing well it wasn’t easy,” Yuvraj said in an exclusive interaction on Home of Heroes, Sports 18 newest offering.
“I felt it was an emotional decision to make him a captain in Test cricket. When they made him captain it was announced subject to fitness. You cannot announce your Test captain subject to fitness. He is getting injured a lot. He is at that age where he must look after his body,” asserted Yuvraj.
“It will add pressure to him on Test captaincy as well. It’s been only a couple of years since he started opening the innings in Test cricket. He has been playing well. Let the guy focus on his batting in Test cricket. I hope he enjoys, it’s not easy standing for 5 days in the park,” he added.
