Ricky Ponting suggests that Rohit Sharma is the perfect choice to captain the Indian cricket team in their pursuit of winning the 2023 ODI World Cup at home.
Ponting points out the differences in personalities between Rohit and the previous captain, Virat Kohli, and believes Rohit is better suited to handle the pressure of significant events.
The Indian cricket team has had an impressive start in the ODI World Cup, securing victory in all three of their matches. They began with a six-wicket win against Australia, followed by an eight-wicket triumph over Afghanistan.
In their most recent match, they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets. Ricky Ponting expressed on the ICC website that Rohit’s calm and composed nature would enable him to handle pressure more effectively.
“He’s very laid back, Rohit. Very laid back with everything he does. You can even see that by the way that he plays. He’s a pretty laconic sort of batsman as well, and that’s the way he is both on and off the field,” Ponting explained.
“We can’t sit back and say that the pressure won’t get to them at some stage, or it won’t affect them, because it will, just with the enormity of the tournament. But he’ll take it and cope with it as well as probably anyone,” the former cricketer added.
Ponting also mentioned that Rohit is the appropriate choice to captain India in the World Cup, allowing Kohli to concentrate primarily on his batting performance.
“Someone like Virat, who is a bit more heart-on-the-sleeve, and probably listens to the fans and plays up with the fans a little bit more, someone with his personality would probably find it a bit harder.”
”But I think Rohit will be fine with it. He’s a terrific bloke and has been a great player for a long time, and he’s done a great job as leader of India,” he elaborated.
Rohit and Kohli have shown excellent batting form in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Indian captain secured a century and a fifty, while Kohli played two vital innings, both being half-centuries.
“We’ll see how they hold up under extreme pressure” – Ponting’s view on India’s World Cup chances under Rohit’s captaincy
India is considered the top pick to win the World Cup on their home turf. Ricky Ponting also shares this view, believing the Men in Blue are among the leading contenders. However, he emphasized that their success will ultimately hinge on their ability to handle pressure.
“I said from the start that I think they’re going to be the team to beat. They’ve got a very talented team. They’ve got all bases covered with their fast bowling, their spin and their top-order, middle-order batting.”
”They’re going to be extremely hard to beat. But we’ll see how they hold up under extreme pressure as well,” the Aussie great concluded.
India’s most recent ODI World Cup victory occurred in 2011, with MS Dhoni as the captain, during the ICC event they co-hosted.
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