Virender Sehwag wants Rohit Sharma to be relieved of T20 captaincy duties

With India picking up a commendable win in the rain-hit first match in India vs Ireland two-match T20I series, Hardik Pandya's captaincy has received a lot of appreciation. 

Former Indian power-hitter Virender Sehwag has pointed out that Rohit Sharma, the current full-time captain for all the formats of the Indian Cricket team, could be relieved of his captaincy duties in the shortest format. 

Sehwag believes it would allow Sharma to manage his workload and captaincy in the remaining two formants, Test and ODI, efficiently. Rohit hasn't been available for some matches because of injuries and workload management. 

"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 in interaction by Sony Sports.

"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," added Sehwag.

That said, Sehwag claims that Rohit Sharma remains the ideal choice if the team management continues to follow the one captain policy across all formats. 

He stated, "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,"

When asked about the top three batters among the Indian batting arsenal for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the swashbuckling opener singled out the names of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul. Also, he has mentioned that Virat Kohli is India's designated number three batter. 

"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," added Sehwag. 

When asked about the Jammu Express, Umran Malik, who had made his International debut yesterday against Ireland, the Indian veteran batter was impressed and believes that he should feature in the team's World Cup bowling attack alongside Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. 

"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. 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," Sehwag concluded.