T20 World Cup 2021: "Virat Kohli could offer leadership straightaway to Rohit Sharma in this final game" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested Virat Kohli should take the first step towards the inevitable by offering Team India's T20I captaincy to Rohit Sharma in today's match against Namibia.

Virat Kohli has decided to step down as T20I captain after the ongoing T20 World Cup. With New Zealand defeating Afghanistan on Sunday, the Men in Blue now have no chance to qualify for the semi-finals, making today's dead rubber an anti-climactic swansong of Kohli's four-year stint at the helm.

Previewing the match for Dafa News via his social-media handles, Sanjay Manjrekar remarked:

"If Virat Kohli wants to sort of start a new trend, the inevitable future in T20 cricket, he could maybe offer the leadership straightaway to Rohit Sharma in this final game. Then Rohit Sharma may not be rested and play as captain."

Virat Kohli played his first match as T20 captain in 2017. Since then, he has led India in 49 T20Is, winning 29 with a win percentage of 63.82. While India emerged as a near-impregnable side in bilateral series during that time, the search for an ICC title continued relentlessly.

While there are other, younger candidates to replace him, current Indian limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is the most likely to take over the role considering back-to-back T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

"It was an extremely disappointing campaign for Virat Kohli as a captain" - Aakash Chopra

Speaking on the same topic, cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra has called the T20 World Cup an "extremely disappointing campaign" for Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

"This is where one story is ending. It is Virat Kohli's first and last T20 World Cup as captain, he will not be seen again as a captain in the shortest format. Virat and Ravi Shastri's pairing is also finishing here. It was an extremely disappointing campaign for Virat Kohli as a captain."

The India-Namibia clash will commence at 7:30 PM IST in Dubai. Pakistan, England, Australia and New Zealand are the four teams qualified for the semi-finals of the marquee competition.

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