Will India Become No.1 ODI Team Under Rohit’s Tutelage?

After India pummeled England by 10 wickets in the first ODI at The Oval, they moved to the no.3 position in the ICC’s ODI team rankings. New Zealand at present the numero uno team in this format, while England is at the no.2 position.

The authenticity of the current rankings gains even more credibility if we look at their performances in the ODIs since 2019. During this period, though India has won the most matches – 30 out of 50 ODIs – their win/loss percentage is lower than New Zealand and England.

New Zealand’s win ratio is the best during this period as they have won 24 ODIs out of 33, while England – who had emerged as the winner of the ODI World Cup in 2019 – has bagged 27 victories in 44 matches.

Though India was a formidable ODI team under the tutelage of Virat Kohli, it failed to win a big ICC tournament, whether the World Cup or the Champions Trophy. That will always remain a blemish on Kohli’s captaincy tenure. Kohli’s predecessor, MS Dhoni, had led India to wins in both the marquee tournaments.

Before Rohit Sharma became India’s full-time ODI captain in 2022, he had led the team in a few matches in the absence of then captain Kohli. Most notably, he was the helmsman, as Kohli was rested, when India won the 2018 Asia Cup under his auspices. Till now, he has won 12 ODIs out of 14 in which he has been the skipper.

The flamboyant batsman has been a pivotal part of India’s ODI team since 2012 and has been one of the best batsmen in this format. He shares a warm rapport with both the seniors as well as the youngsters in the team. As a captain, he has won five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles for Mumbai Indians so he’s no stranger as far as winning the big championships is concerned.

As mentioned, he has already won the Asia Cup for India as a captain. His tactical nous coupled with oodles of experience will stand him in good stead as the leader of the Indian team. The team has been winning a string of bilateral ODI series but what the fans want is to see him winning a major ICC tournament.

Team India is thrumming with talent at present as a host of prodigiously gifted cricketers knocking at the doors. With such a vast pool at their disposal, Rohit will have to astutely harness the talent of every individual and help them grow as cricketers. It will be interesting to see how Rohit evolves and excels as a leader of the ODI team.

Winning the ODI series in England will surely be an excellent start.