India don’t need split captaincy, says Sourav Ganguly
While many cricketing nations are experimenting with split captaincy – having one for the Test matches and and another for the shorter form of the game namely ODIs and T20s, India is thinking otherwise.
The idea of split captaincy works in favour of talent which might otherwise never get a chance to lead the team. The case in point is that of Rohit Sharma who continues to break record after record but gets the team’s reigns only on adhoc basis, playing mostly under Virat Kohli.
Supporters of Rohit Sharma and the idea of split captaincy and him leading the shorter versions say, “Virat Kohli’s win percentage in One-day Internationals and T20 Internationals is less than Rohit Sharma’s—Kohli has won 47.16% of his 110 games as skipper in IPL and Sharma 58.65% of the 104 games he has led in the league.”
But nothing remains to be said after Sourav Ganguly, who has just assumed the office of the President of BCCI ( Board of Control for Cricket in India)has warehoused the idea.
‘India don’t need split captaincy’, said Ganguly from his new office at the BCCI’s headquarters in Mumbai. “I don’t think that is required to be even discussed now,” said Ganguly in an interview when asked if India need different captains for different formats.
Sourav Ganguly has begun his 10-month stint as president of the BCCI and has already initiated a number of things without wasting any time.
Test under Lights
In less than two weeks, Ganguly has ensured India will play their first Test under lights.
According to the new president, day-night Tests will become a regular feature in India.
“We will try and play one every year in India. That is for sure. When India go on tour, we will talk to the board of the country we are visiting and see if we can feature in one”, said Ganguly.
Eyes on World T20 Championship
India play 13 T20s, against Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, between now and February 2. Each of them will be part of the preparation for the World T20 beginning in Australia on October 18.
The team will play their World T20 Championship T20 opener in Perth on October 24, after a gap of more than eight and half months. Their last game – T20 is against New Zealand which they play on February 2. There are no T20 games in between where India could play some practice matches.
Should India play more T20 games before the World T20 Championship in Australia next year?
“There isn’t any time to slot in more games; the calendar does not permit that,” said Ganguly. “But I think we are playing enough T20 games anyway. Over and above these, you will also have the IPL in 2020.”
Indian won the trophy in the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007 but has not won it ever since. Any major trophy won by India since then has been the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Ganguly who has work cut out for him, has already started the process of contracts for first-class cricketers.