'Very good call, leading in every format was taking a toll on Kohli' - Kiran More supports ODI captaincy transfer to Rohit Sharma

Former India wicketkeeper and chairman of the selection committee, Kiran More has termed the decision of transferring India’s ODI captaincy to Rohit Sharma as a “very good call”. In More’s opinion, the step must have been taken long ago, considering the burden of all three formats eating into Kohli.

The BCCI, on December 8, while announcing India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, notified the decision taken by the Chetan Sharma-led national selection committee. While the call was not entirely unexpected, the manner in which it was carried out did raise a few eyebrows as Kohli had previously mentioned about his desire to continue with India’s Test and ODI captaincy.

More, meanwhile, also highlighted the need for a captain to win ICC trophies, which India could not win under Kohli even as his record in bilateral series was exemplary – he ended up winning nearly 71 per cent of the ODIs he led India in and stands as the fourth-best ODI captain in the history in terms of win percentage.

Virat’s bilateral records are superb, but you need to win ICC events: Kiran More

“For the ODIs and T20s, it’s a very good call. I will not disturb him (Virat Kohli) as the Test team captain. Virat has captained India in two World Cups (50 overs in England and Twenty20 in the UAE). Virat’s bilateral records are superb, but you need to win ICC events. That’s important. I think it’s a good move by the selectors, More told News18.com.

“Virat can lead in Test matches and Rohit in white-ball format. I am happy with this arrangement. This should have happened a long time back. There was a lot of pressure on Virat in all formats. It took its toll. At least one format should have gone to Rohit earlier,” he added.

Further, Rohit has also been announced as the new vice-captain for India, taking over the role from a struggling Ajinkya Rahane, who has been named in the South Africa series squad nonetheless. More reckoned that despite being an important player, Rahane is under pressure.

“Ajinkya still has a lot of time in Test cricket. He is a quality player. Definitely, he has to perform because there is a lot of competition. He has scored important and crucial knocks when needed in Australia, South Africa and England. He has played quality knocks, and he is there in the team as a batter.”