Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has thrown his weight behind Rohit Sharma amid criticism following the recent World Test Championship (WTC) final loss. The World Cup-winning captain believes Rohit is still the right man to take India forward, as a defeat in the one-off final doesn't make a significant difference.
Rohit's captaincy position has come under scrutiny as India fell short in yet another ICC event, losing to Australia in the WTC final by 209 runs at the Kennington Oval. The veteran opener had earlier captained the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup last year, sustaining a ten-wicket loss to England at the Adelaide Oval in the semi-final of the tournament.
Speaking to RevSportz, Clarke said he loves Rohit's aggressive approach and that he has had significant success as a leader. The 42-year-old also pointed out that reaching two WTC finals says a lot about India's consistency in Test cricket.
"I would be keeping the faith with Rohit. I think he’s a very good captain. I like his aggressive approach, he looks to be as positive as he can be. He has had a lot of success as a leader. Look at his IPL record. Just because India didn’t win the Test World Championship doesn’t mean Rohit is not the right guy to lead India. The fact that India qualified again, they are the only team to make consecutive finals, says a lot about how they have played their Test cricket over the past four years. It is also a very important time for stability with the One-Day World Cup right around the corner."
Michael Clarke declares India as the most consistent Test team in recent times:
Clarke further underlined that Rohit has also batted well in Test cricket, evident by his hundred in the opening game against Australia last series and feels one should think twice before passing any judgement.
"Since taking over as captain, he has won you a Test series against Australia at home. He has done well as a batter as well. Think of his hundred in the last series. Losing a one-off final doesn’t make him a bad captain, nor does it make India a bad team. To make consecutive finals isn’t easy. What it means is that India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years. To do so in Test cricket is commendable, and I would urge you to look at that as well before making any kind of judgment call."
It remains to be seen whether Rohit will retain the captaincy ahead of the West Indies tour next month.
