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"He Was Reluctant," Sourav Ganguly Confirms Rohit Sharma Denied Test Captaincy

Arnav Chopra

Rohit Sharma and Sourav Ganguly (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)Rohit Sharma and Sourav Ganguly (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)

Three and a half years after the massive captaincy saga that shook Indian cricket, former BCCI president and skipper Sourav Ganguly has dropped a truth bomb about Rohit Sharma's captaincy tenure. In what comes as massive news, Ganguly revealed that Rohit Sharma initially denied Test captaincy.

Ganguly Talks About Rohit's Captaincy Rejection

Right after former Indian skipper Virat Kohli's sudden announcement of stepping down as the skipper of the Test side, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were in absolute shock, alongside the fans. It was after the conclusion of the third Test against South Africa in January 2022, where Kohli stepped down as the Test skipper, after which India had to look for a new captain.

Former BCCI president and former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly dwelled further into this matter and offered his valuable insights while speaking to news agency PTI. Ganguly reveals that after Kohli gave up his leadership duties, the Indian Board looked towards the next senior player in the side, who was Rohit Sharma. The former Indian opener, who was gaining form in the Test format, was seriously considered by the board as their next Test captain.

However, Sourav reveals that when they went to approach Rohit, the right-handed batter was initially reluctant about being the Test captain, due to workload management. This was massive, considering the fact that Rohit was the skipper in both the T20I and ODI formats and getting Test captaincy was on the cards.

“We always wanted Virat to be captain, but he did not want to continue. And that's what it was. And then obviously Rohit came in, he was captaining Mumbai Indians. He was captaining 50-over T20. We needed a Test captain because Virat Kohli was Test captain by then and he finished in South Africa. I always believed that Rohit was a very good captain. So obviously the request from the board, I went to him that you know you should captain in Test matches. He was reluctant because of workload,”

Nonetheless, Ganguly also mentions that after speaking to Rohit Sharma and discussing the Test captaincy issue with him, the opener was convinced as he changed his mind after the chat with Ganguly.

The former left-handed batter also discloses that he talked Rohit into it after having some serious conversations about being the captain of the Test side and the legacy he would leave behind if he captained the side in the red-ball format. According to Ganguly, this was something he took seriously and then changed his mind about.

"But then I remember having a conversation with him that, you don't want to finish your career without captaining Indian Test matches. So that struck a chord with him, and then he took a couple of days and then he agreed. He's a very adjustable person, very friendly person, if you have conversations with him, he'll agree and accept and do things. And why wouldn't anybody want to be in this Test game?”

Rohit Sharma's Test Captaincy Career

However, things took a downhill turn for the former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who not only resigned from captaincy but also retired from the Test format a few months after the last Test he played against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in December 2024.

The fact that India were losing at home and away played a major role in Rohit's retirement as the former skipper decided it was the right time to leave. In his overall Test captaincy career, Rohit led India in 24 games and won 12 of them, losing 9, whereas 3 ended in a draw.