Virat Kohli should lead India in WTC Final if Rohit Sharma is unavailable: Ravi Shastri

The final match of the World Test Championship is scheduled to be played between India and Australia beginning on June 7 this year. BCCI announced the Indian squad for the event on the 25th of April.  Rohit Sharma is set to be the captain of the team. Ahead of the game, former head coach Ravi Shastri expressed that Team India should look "in the direction" of Virat Kohli to lead the side in a major game if Rohit is unavailable due to "unforeseen circumstances".

The last time Team India qualified for the WTC final, Virat was the captain of the team, where India had to face defeat. He also added that the Indian team management should have asked Kohli to be the skipper in the postponed final Test of the England tour last year once Rohit was ruled out.

"If it's for a major game like that, I want Rohit to be fit, he is the captain. But god forbid something happens under unforeseen circumstances, definitely, I'll look in that direction," Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

Shastri said he would have recommended Kohli's name to the board for captaincy for the postponed fifth Test against



England.

"Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would captain.

"If I was still there - I'm sure Rahul (Dravid) might have done the same thing, I have not spoken to him - I would've recommended to the board that it's only fair he leads because he was captain of the team that was leading 2-1 in the series and probably could have got the best out of the team," he said.

Kohli is currently leading Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023 as the regular captain Faf du Plessis is recovering from an injury and playing as an Impact player.

"He's in a very good space, enjoying his cricket. That's the feeling I got as opposed to last year when we were sitting and discussing does he need a break, or does he not need a break. He seemed to have the burden of the whole world on his shoulders," Shastri said.

"Now it's refreshing. The enthusiasm, passionate energy, and enjoyment have come back, which for me was the best thing to see. Runs you might or might not get but when you see someone, and the passion, enjoyment, and drive is back again, it's good," he added.