He was one of the best leaders in the game, known for being aggressive and proactive in his approach. And now Michael Clarke, the former Australian captain who won the World Cup in 2015, throws his weight behind Rohit Sharma as skipper, and calls for “faith in Rohit” going forward. According to Clarke, the loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final doesn’t mean Rohit isn’t the right guy to lead India.
Clarke is also excited with the way the Ashes have started, and is backing Australia to come out on top.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Boria: There is a lot of talk about Rohit Sharma as captain of India. Some reports have suggested that the BCCI will take a final call after the 50-over World Cup in India. While Rohit did not win the WTC, he has had success as captain in the past, not just in the IPL but also in Test cricket. He won India the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, for example. How do you look at Rohit as captain going forward?
Michael Clarke: I would be keeping the faith with Rohit. I think he is 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 for Mumbai (Indians). 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.
Boria: So you aren’t in favor of doing anything in haste? In India, we are an impatient lot and seek instant results. And the truth is finals results haven’t been going our way for a long time now.
Clarke: Like I said to you, I would be keeping faith in Rohit. 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.
Boria: Coming to the Ashes … three cracking days of action. The match is in the balance. England played as they do now, but Australia managed to push them. Conventional Test cricket from Australia, and now they have their nose ahead. Your thoughts on the Ashes so far?
Clarke: The Ashes has got off to a great start – both teams playing some great Test cricket. That’s what you expect from a marquee series like this. England are continuing to play the brand of cricket they have been for the past 12 months, and the Aussies are finding a way to combat that. This is going to be a great series but, of course, I’m backing Australia to come out on top.
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