New Delhi: Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir and England's Michael Vaughan have called for Rohit Sharma's elevation to India's T20 captaincy with the former national team opener going to the extent of saying that it would be a "shame" if the star batsman does not get the role.
Rohit led Mumbai Indians to a fifth IPL title on Tuesday, impressing not just with a graceful half-century but also shrewd captaincy. He is currently the national vice-captain for the white-ball formats.
"If Rohit Sharma doesn't become India's captain, it's their loss, not Rohit's," Gambhir said to a media outlet.
"Yes, a captain is only as good as his team and I completely agree with that, but what are the parameters to judge a captain on who is good and who isn't? The parameters and benchmark should be the same. Rohit has led his team (MI) to five IPL titles."
MI won an unprecedented fifth IPL title by beating Delhi Capitals by five wickets in Dubai on Tuesday night.
"We keep saying MS Dhoni is India's most successful captain. Why? Because he has won two World Cups and three IPLs," Gambhir said.
"Rohit has won five IPL titles, he is the most successful captain in the history of the tournament. Going forward, it'll be a shame if he doesn't get India's white-ball or just T20 captaincy.
"Because he can't do much more than this. He can only help the team he captains to victories. So if he doesn't become India's regular white-ball captain, it will be their loss," he added.
Gambhir had earlier said that Virat Kohli should be made accountable for Royal Challegers Bangalore's failure to make the IPL finals in 13 efforts, eight out of which were under Kohli's leadership.