Sunil Gavaskar backs Rohit as next T20I captain

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that opener Rohit Sharma is the perfect successor of Virat Kohli as T20I captain.

He further said that India don't need to think about long-term when when it comes to appointing a new T20I skipper, saying that the next T20 World Cup will be played in Australia next year.

Kohli ended his T20I captaincy tenure on a winning note vs Namibia. He captained India in 50 T20I and won 30 of matches.

Gavaskar said Rohit's record of having led India in the past and winning as many as five Indian Premier League titles for Mumbai Indians makes him the ideal candidate to lead the team.

"Long term is, in case the next World Cup is maybe two years away or three years away. Next World Cup is just 10-12 months away. You don't have to really look long term now," Gavaskar told India Today.

India will next take on New Zealand in home series starting November 17.