Parthiv Patel backs Rohit Sharma to lead Team India in the 2021 T20 World Cup

Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel has backed Rohit Sharma over Virat Kohli to lead the Men in Blue in the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup. The 35-year-old, who has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, reckons that Sharma knows the art of team-building and said it to be a reason behind the Mumbai Indians’ winning five IPL titles in the last eight seasons.

Back in November, MI also managed to defend the title, beating Delhi Capitals in the Final in Dubai. The Ahmedabad-born Parthiv said that making Rohit the skipper in one of the formats would also release some pressure from Virat Kohli, who has been captaining Team India in all the three formats since the start of 2017.

Rohit Sharma knows how to build players and show results, says Parthiv

“Rohit Sharma has shown us how to build a team. He has shown us how to win a tournament. I think there is no harm in giving him the captaincy in one format. This will also relieve Virat Kohli of some pressure,” Parthiv was quoted as saying to Sports Tak.

“With him (Rohit) winning so many tournaments, it will be interesting to see how he takes decisions under pressure. Mumbai Indians does not have a settled team every season, but Rohit Sharma has shown that he knows how to build players and show results,” he stated.

Due to Rohit’s tremendous success in the IPL, there has been a constant debate on who between him and Virat should be the Indian skipper. However, Parthiv was clear-cut in supporting the 33-year-old Rohit, currently the national team’s vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is.

“According to me for the T20 World Cup, if Rohit Sharma is fit to play, he should be given the captaincy ahead of the tournament,” Parthiv added.

In Kohli’s absence, Rohit has lead India quite a few times. In 2018, Rohit won India the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka and then guided them to victory in the Asia Cup in the UAE.

At the present point in time, even as Virat is gearing up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit is busy going through rehabilitation after his hamstring injury during the IPL.