Rohit Sharma could be relieved as India's T20I captain going forward: Virender Sehwag

Former India batter Virender Sehwag feels Rohit Sharma could be relieved as India's T20I captain moving forward. Rohit has not been able to take charge in all the matches since taking over from Virat Kohli as an all-format captain due to injuries and the team management's decision to manage his workload.

Rohit now may not feature in the Edgbaston Test against England as he has tested for Covid-19, which could pave way for Jasprit Bumrah to lead India for the first time. Moreover, Mayank Agarwal too has been added to the squad as cover for Rohit.

"If the Indian team management has someone else in mind as captain in the T20 format, then I think, Rohit (Sharma) could be relieved and the following can be taken into consideration going forward, Sehwag told PTI in an interview.

"One, that would allow Rohit to manage his workload and mental fatigue, given his age.

"Two, once someone new is appointed as captain in T20s, it would also allow Rohit to take breaks and rejuvenate himself to lead India in both Tests and ODIs," he said in an interaction arranged by Sony Sports, the official broadcaster of the India-England series.

However, Sehwag maintains that Rohit is the right man to lead India if the team management's policy is to have just one captain across formats. "If the Indian think-tank still wants to pursue with the same policy, which is, to let one man leading India in all the three formats, then I still believe, Rohit Sharma is the best man for it," the former India opener said.

While a lot of permutation and combination have been at play currently ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, the former Indian swashbuckling opener asserted his top three choices among the batters for the tournament would be Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and KL Rahul.

Star batter Virat Kohli is India's designated number three batter at the moment. "India has options aplenty when it comes to hard hitters in T20s. However, I would personally vouch for Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and KL Rahul as the top three batters for the World Cup in Australia," Sehwag said.

"The right-hand and left-hand combination of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, or for that matter, Ishan and KL Rahul could be quite interesting for the World T20," he added.

Sehwag, who was known to take many fearsome pacers to the cleaners in his heyday, was all praise for young pacer Umran Malik, and believes, that the 22-year-old should feature in the World Cup alongside the likes of Mohammed Shami and Bumrah as one of India's bowling mainstays.

"If there is one pacer who has thoroughly impressed me, of late, it is none other than Umran Malik. He should definitely be part of India's plans as one of the key bowlers alongside the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami," Sehwag stated.

"This IPL has given us many promising young bowlers, but Umran's skills and talent will definitely earn him a place in the Indian across all three formats in the long run," he remarked.

(With inputs from PTI)