Captaincy is Not Based on Personal Likes and Dislikes: Rohit Sharma

During the next few weeks, the Indian team will be keeping a close eye on  its 18-man squad selected for the 2023 Asia Cup that starts this Wednesday. It’s likely that out of these, 15 will be picked for the ODI World Cup starting October 5 and three will have to live with the heartbreak of missing the cut after having made this far.

India captain Rohit Sharma knows the frustration of not making it to a world cup squad having lived through the disappointment in 2011.

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12 years later, India is again hosting the ODI showpiece and this time, Rohit is faced with the critical task of shortlisting the best available squad that will help his team end its ICC title drought.

“While picking the best combination, there will be guys who will miss out for various reasons and Rahul bhai (Dravid) and I have tried our best to explain to the players why they are not in the squad,” Rohit told reports on Monday.

“We have tried to communicate with the players after every selection and playing XI that has been announced. We talk to them face to face, one-on-one why they have not been picked,” he added.

Rohit admits there will be times when the team management won’t have made the right call with respect to selection.

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“Me, coaches, and selectors, take into account all factors like opposition, surfaces, our strengths, their weaknesses, and then reach a common ground. There is every chance that we will not be perfect always,” he said.

“At the end of the day, few individuals make decisions, and we are bound to make mistakes as humans. We won’t always be right,” he added.

Rohit insists there’s a reason why a certain player makes the cut and another doesn’t, and it’s not based on his personal likes and dislikes.

“It’s not like, I don’t like this person, so I am dropping him. Captaincy is not based on personal likes and dislikes. If anyone misses out, there is a reason for it. If you are the unlucky one, we can do nothing,” Rohit said.