Three ways in which Rohit Sharma's captaincy will be different from Virat Kohli's approach
Rohit Sharma on Wednesday was announced as India's new ODI captain by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will take on this responsibility in addition to being the team's captain in T20 Internationals (T20Is).
He replaced Virat Kohli as captain in the limited overs format. Kohli had led the side in white-ball cricket since 2017.
A leader who led the side with grit, passion & determination. 🇮🇳🔝
Thank you Captain @imVkohli!👏👏
#TeamIndia https://t.co/gz7r6KCuWF
Kohli had announced that he would be stepping down as India's T20I captain after the 2021 T20 World Cup earlier this year. Following this, Rohit Sharma was named India's captain in the shortest format ahead of the home series against New Zealand.
Now, with India set to tour South Africa for three Tests and as many ODIs, he has been given the captaincy in the 50-over format as well.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams going forward," the BCCI statement on Wednesday read.
India were a dominant force in bilateral tournaments under Kohli but the ICC trophies eluded them. This is something the team management is hoping will change under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. He has skippered the Mumbai Indians to a record five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles.
Sourav Ganguly opens up on BCCI's decision to appoint Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Indian ODI team.
#India #TeamIndia https://t.co/8jFjcZs3oC
Rohit got off to a winning start in his stint as T20I captain, leading India to a 3-0 home series whitewash against New Zealand.
The three-match ODI series against South Africa will be his first assignment as full-time captain of the ODI team.
While wholesale changes are not expected with the change in captaincy, Rohit will bring a different approach to leadership from that of Kohli's.
Here are three ways Rohit Sharma's captaincy could be different from Virat Kohli's
#1 A song of ice and fire
While Virat Kohli was known for his aggressive and fiery brand of captaincy, Rohit Sharma comes off as a much cooler customer.
The 35-year-old opener has shown he can stay calm in pressure situations, be it for Mumbai Indians or as stand-in skipper for India.
Kohli tends to be charged up, and in turn manages to pump up his team. Rohit will likely be able to ensure there are no nerves among his teammates when India find themselves in tricky situations.
The stark difference in personalities is also often visible in press conferences. Where Kohli is often aggressive and in-your-face, Rohit handles tricky questions with wit and subtlety.
#2 Longevity for players
Rohit Sharma is known to back his players and give them enough chances to truly show their worth.
Under Virat Kohli's captaincy, some players were often shuffled and dropped. Players are now likely to be given a longer rope under the MI skipper.
Players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were groomed under his captaincy at MI.
In the series and tournaments he captained India, he was handed young teams with a lot of first team players given rest. Rohit managed those resources and brought the best out of them.
#3 Clarity in communication
One of the complaints against Virat Kohli as captain was a lack of clear communication with the players, with respect to their selection and dropping.
Rohit Sharma has already stressed on the need for transparent communication so that players have a better sense of security.
If, for example, a player is removed from the playing XI for a match, it is important that he knows the reason. Whether he is being dropped due to bad form, rested or being rotated due to tactical reasons must be communicated.
Rohit has a reputation for having a good rapport with players, especially the younger ones. He is likely to give them that sense of security that they need, which will come through clear and transparent lines of communication.