Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may split the Indian team captaincy. Rohit Sharma may probably become the ODI captain and Virat Kohli may lead the Test squad, as per a report by IANS. An official of BCCI has told IANS that the board is keen to discuss the issue of splitting captaincy as, according to him, every good team starts preparation for the next World Cup immediately after the campaign in the latest one ends. He also believes that Rohit is the right man to lead the ODI squad and the reason behind England's World Cup 2019 win is the planning they did after getting ousted from the group stage in 2015.
"This would be the right time for Rohit to take over the mantle of the captaincy in the 50-over format. There has been immense support to the present captain and the management and it is time to plan ahead for the next World Cup and for that the existing ideas and plans need a fresh look. We all know some areas need a relook. Rohit would be the right man for the job," the official said as quoted by IANS.
According to the official, the biggest concern at this moment are the rumours of a rift between Kohli and Rohit which can cause major damage to the team. If the team gets divided into two camps, then it will become a major roadblock for the future success of the Men in Blue. The matter will be discussed when the review meeting happens with coach Ravi Shastri, captain Kohli and chief selector M.S.K. Prasad in the presence of the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
"You are aware that Vinod Rai (CoA chief) has already mentioned that a review meeting will take place. It will have to be ascertained when the review takes place and it is important to get to the bottom of these rumours," the official added.
A few days back Dainik Jagran reported that there are two factions in the Indian team, one supporting skipper Kohli and the other owing its allegiance to vice-captain Rohit. The biggest problem is that the players in Kohli's camp get preferences in team selection and that is why Ambati Rayudu was not included in the squad, as per the report. The article further added that many players want Ravi Shastri to be given marching orders as they are not happy with him.
India exited the World Cup after suffering defeat at the hands of New Zealand by 18 runs in the semi-finals. After the exit of Men in Blue, all these controversies started coming into the open. Now, it will be interesting to see how the future of Team India turns out to be.
