Gambhir says it would be a shame and loss for Indian cricket if Rohit isn't made white-ball skipper

Bengaluru, November 11: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that it would be a "shame" and a "loss" for Indian cricket if Rohit Sharma does not get the role of India's T20 captaincy.

Rohit led Mumbai Indians to a fifth IPL title on Tuesday (November 10), impressing not just with a graceful half century but also shrewd captaincy. And following the IPL 2020 final triumph, Gambhir said it will be India's loss if Rohit is not named the skipper in the shortest format of the game.

"If Rohit Sharma doesn't become India's captain, it's their loss, not Rohit's," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo's T20 Time Out programme.

"Yes, a captain is only as good as his team and I completely agree with that, but what are the parameters to judge a captain on who is good and who isn''t? The parameters and benchmark should be the same. Rohit has led his team (MI) to five IPL titles."

Gambhir also backed his talk by stating the reason why Dhoni was India's most successful captain and added that Rohit, who has led his franchise to five titles, should be the national team skipper in white ball format or at least in T20s.

"We keep saying MS Dhoni is India's most successful captain. Why? Because he has won two World Cups and three IPLs," Gambhir said.

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"Rohit has won five IPL titles, he is the most successful captain in the history of the tournament. Going forward, it'll be a shame if he doesn't get India's white-ball or just T20 captaincy.

"Because he can't do much more than this. He can only help the team he captains to victories. So if he doesn't become India's regular white-ball captain, it will be their loss," he added.

Gambhir has been vocal about current skipper Virat Kohli stating that he should be made accountable for Royal Challegers Bangalore's failure to win the IPL in 13 efforts, eight out of which were under Kohli's leadership.

But the cricketer-turned-politician clarified that he never meant Kohli's captaincy is "poor", instead he only suggested that split captaincy model is the need of the hour.

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"They can also consider split-captaincy. No one is poor. Rohit has shown in white-ball cricket how big the difference is between his and Virat's captaincy. One player had led his team to five titles, the other hasn't won yet," said Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles.

"I'm not saying this because Kohli is a poor captain. But he has received the same platform that Rohit has, so you have to judge both of them on the same parameters.

"Both have been captains in the IPL for the same length of time. I feel Rohit stands out as a leader."

Ab to aadat si hai sabko aise dhone ki.
The best T 20 franchisee in the world and the best captain in the format. Deserving winners , Mumbai Indians, koi shak.
Amazingly well organised tournament despite various challenges.#IPLfinal pic.twitter.com/yYkRqKtoxQ

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) November 10, 2020

Meanwhile, Gambhir's opening partner Virender Sehwag also offered immense praise for Rohit, who he believes is the best captain in T20s.

"Ab to aadat si hai sabko aise dhone ki. The best T 20 franchisee in the world and the best captain in the format. Deserving winners , Mumbai Indians, koi shak. Amazingly well organised tournament despite various challenges," tweeted Sehwag.

(With PTI inputs)