Kohli identifies Rohit as future captain

Virat Kohli has said India batsman Rohit Sharma has the potential to captain the side one day. Kohli's potential as a future captain of India received another tick with a 5-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe in the recently concluded ODI series and he cited Rohit as a contender to step into MS Dhoni's shoes.

Kohli and Suresh Raina have, in the recent past, captained India in Dhoni's absence in certain tours. Rohit had enhanced his captaincy credentials when he led Mumbai Indians to the 2013 IPL title and is still establishing a permanent place in India's limited-overs sides.

"Rohit has a tremendous cricketing brain," Kohli said at an event in Lucknow. "I often take his advice during matches. He has shown his capability while leading Mumbai Indians in the IPL."

Kohli, who was nominated for the Arjuna award on Tuesday, has amassed 332 runs in 8 matches as captain, including two centuries. The first, an attacking 102 off 83 balls, sparked a turnaround that helped India win the West Indies tri-series in July. He is second only to Shikhar Dhawan among India's representatives in the top-five run scorers for ODIs this year.

"I like to be a captain and take responsibility," Kohli said. "As batsmen, we focus only on ourselves. But as a captain we have to look into every aspect. We have to deal with each and every player. Though the responsibility increases manifold it is a great challenge."