A big 'No' from Sunil Gavaskar for Rohit as India Test captain, backs his call with this 'valid' point

Virat Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain on Saturday i.e. exactly a day after the team's Test series loss to South Africa. Kohli had led Team India for seven years in Test cricket and under his reign, they were at the pinnacle of the Test rankings for 42 months and remained undefeated in all home Test series.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Rohit Sharma is set to be appointed as Virat Kohli's successor in red-ball cricket. However, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar is not convinced with the move and feels that the dynamic opener is not the right choice to lead the Indian team in whites.

Sunil Gavaskar made it clear that since Rohit Sharma has 'fitness issues', he is not the right candidate to take up India's Test captaincy. “The problem with Rohit is that he has fitness issues. So, you need a player who remains fit and is available for all matches. If you remember, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews had the same issue with a hamstring. And with that, when you try to run fast or take a quick single, the injury resurfaces,” said Sunil Gavaskar while speaking on Sports Tak.

“If that is to happen, you may be forced to name someone else captain. So it’s better to pick a player who instead has external injuries. But with Rohit, this cycle of picking up regular injuries is why I am doubtful about him. This is why I feel that only a player who features in all formats should be made captain,” he added.

Rohit Sharma is expected to be back in action during the two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka next month. The series-opener will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while the final Test will be played at Mohali's PCA Stadium.

Along with Sharma, names of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are also doing rounds. There are reports that BCCI want split captaincy thus they are not in favour of Rohit taking Test reins as well.