Ever since Virat Kohli left India’s Test captaincy, quite a few names have come up as potential candidates to replace the Delhi-lad in the longest format. Several veteran cricketers have suggested their picks regarding the future Test captain of India. Following the bandwagon, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has also shared his thoughts on the red-hot topic.
Ponting has backed star Indian opener Rohit Sharma, explaining that Rohit’s success with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) is why he should be named as Kohli’s successor. Notably, Rohit is the frontrunner to replace Kohli as India Test skipper, especially after being named the new white-ball captain for India.
“I think the proof is in the pudding with what he has done at the Mumbai Indians since that moment on. He has been a very successful leader there and has been when he has led India on a few occasions as well,” said Ponting in conversation with former England Women cricketer Isa Guha on The ICC Review show.
Ponting spoke about Rohit’s comeback in the longest format in the last couple of years, lavishing praise on the Mumbaikar for being consistent. Although, the Tasmanian stressed that it is up to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) whether they want to split the roles or continue with one captain across formats.
“If I go back to what I said at the start about being on top of your game when you take over a captaincy role, then it is pretty hard to argue after what he has done with his Test cricket in the last 2-3 years. He has played as well as anybody in the world through that period of time, and we know how good he is as a white-ball player. They (BCCI) will have a decision to make what they want to do with their roles as well, whether they split roles or they want to keep the same captain for all formats,” added Ponting.