Ganguly not concerned about Rohit's retirement, says replacing Kohli will take time

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly commanded a great deal of respect during his playing days and even later. It appears he had a huge role in convincing Rohit Sharma to lead India in Test cricket.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Ganguly opened up about how he changed Rohit's mind. "We always wanted Virat (Kohli) to be the captain, but he did not want to continue. Then, of course, Rohit came in. He was captaining Mumbai Indians, he was captaining 50 over and T20. We needed a Test captain, because Virat was Test captain and he finished in South Africa," said Ganguly, who was the President of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) then.

"I always believed that Rohit was a very good captain, so the request went from the Board, but he was reluctant because of workload. Then I remember having a conversation with him; I said, 'You don't want to finish your career without captaining India in Test matches'. He took a couple of days, then he agreed. He is a very adjustable person."

Thanks to Ganguly's intervention, Rohit led India in Tests from 2022 to 2024. He led India to the World Test Championship final in the 2021-2023 cycle. Under Rohit's leadership, India won a Test series in West Indies.

'Virat is world-class'
Both Rohit and Virat retired from Test cricket this year. India are led by young batter Shubman Gill, who is on his maiden tour of England. Ganguly said he wasn't concerned about Indian cricket despite Rohit and Virat's sudden retirement.

However, Ganguly thinks it won't be easy for India to replace a player like Virat. "He is different; he's a world-class player. To replace Virat Kohli will take a bit of time. But the rest? I'm not surprised," Ganguly said.