Champions Trophy final set to decide Rohit Sharma’s cricketing future; Virat Kohli not a worry: Report
Rohit Sharma has led his team superbly throughout the Champions Trophy, taking them to the final of the marquee event. However, with two years to go before the ODI World Cup, talk that age catching up with the veteran batsman is gaining ground. The BCCI decision on Rohit’s captaincy will likely hinge on the outcome of the Champions Trophy.
The Times of India reported, quoting sources, the BCCI may have a ‘tough discussion’ over Rohit Sharma’s future as India’s captain for ODIs and Tests. Rohit has retired from the T20 format after helping the team win the big tournament last year.
A World Cup winning Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma believes he still has some cricket left in him. The BCCI has asked the Indian captain to share his plans for the future.
A BCCI source told TOI, “Retiring is his call but there will be another discussion around continuing with captaincy. Rohit himself understands the need to have a stable captain if the team wants to prepare for a World Cup. There have been talks with Kohli too but there doesn’t seem to be much anxiety around him,”
BCCI to revisit annual contracts after Champions Trophy:
The report suggests that BCCI also wants to revisit its central contract after the Champions Trophy final. Particularly, the board may want to make changes to the Grade A+ contracts where Rohit, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja sit.
The BCCI policy had earlier indicated that players who perform in all three formats would be given preference for A+ contracts and with Kohli, Jadeja and Rohit all retiring from T20Is, there may be some concern within the Indian cricket board.
Meanwhile, Axar Patel, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant could be in line for promotion to the A category.
Shreyas Iyer is likely to regain his central contract after being dropped last year for disciplinary reasons. Kohli has strengthened his case with a superlative show in the Champions Trophy so far.
Shreyas Iyer could also find himself back in the BCCI’s good books after missing out on a contract last year, the TOI reported.
