Over three years since the captaincy change in Indian cricket, former Indian captain and erstwhile BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has dropped a bombshell. He revealed that Rohit Sharma initially declined to accept the Test captaincy after Virat Kohli relinquished it. Ganguly Opens Up on Rohit's Captaincy Call In January 2022, following the third Test against South Africa, Virat Kohli abruptly relinquished his Test captaincy. This stunned not just the supporters but also the BCCI. The board promptly had to determine whom to name as the Test captain of India. Of course, they approached the most experienced player in the squad, Rohit Sharma. Rohit, who already led the team in ODIs and T20Is, was performing well in the Test format as well. The BCCI thought he was the best candidate to step in for Kohli. But to the surprise of all, Ganguly has now stated that Rohit was not ready to become the Test captain initially. The reason being workload. Captaining all three formats can get exhausting, and Rohit was not sure if he could cope with it. Ganguly revealed to PTI that he had a serious and lengthy conversation with Rohit. He laid out the significance of the Test captaincy role and how it would contribute to Rohit's Indian cricket legacy. After considering it and having the chat, Rohit eventually agreed to accept the role. Also Read | Watch: Jofra Archer Makes First-Class Return After 4 Years Ganguly said: "We always wanted Virat to be captain, but he did not want to continue. And that's what it was. And then obviously Rohit came in, he was captaining Mumbai Indians. He was captaining 50-over T20. We needed a Test captain because Virat Kohli was Test captain by then and he finished in South Africa. I always believed that Rohit was a very good captain. So obviously the request from the board, I went to him that you know you should captain in Test matches. He was reluctant because of workload." Former India captain added: "But then I remember having a conversation with him that, you don't want to finish your career without captaining Indian Test matches. So that struck a chord with him, and then he took a couple of days and then he agreed. He's a very adjustable person, very friendly person, if you have conversations with him, he'll agree and accept and do things. And why wouldn't anybody want to be in this Test game?” Rohit Sharma's Test Captaincy Journey Rohit's stint as Test captain did not end on a high note. Following the 2024 Test match at the MCG against Australia, Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket during IPL 2025. Part of the reason for this move was India's dismal performance both at home and away. Rohit felt that it was the right time for him to move away from the longest version of the game. As Test captain, Rohit guided India in 24 games. He won 12, lost 9, and 3 were drawn.