"There is a calculator in his head" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's best qualities as skipper
Aakash Chopra believes Rohit Sharma's calculative mind is one of his best qualities and sets him apart from other skippers.
Sharma is known to have an astute cricketing brain. He is the most successful captain in IPL history, having led the Mumbai Indians to a record five titles.
While talking about some of Rohit Sharma's best traits as a skipper in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the 34-year-old has all the equations worked out in his mind. Chopra said:
"Just like Dhoni, from his face, you cannot figure out what is going on, whether you are ahead or behind in the match. But there is a calculator in his head, which bowler has how many overs and who needs to be bowled when and how to take it forward."
While acknowledging that not much is known about Sharma's red-ball captaincy, the former India cricketer pointed out that the Mumbaikar is a master tactician in the shorter formats of the game. Chopra observed:
"He keeps control on the game. He understands just the pulse of white-ball cricket. We have not seen him with the red-ball but we have seen him in franchise cricket and whenever he has captained for India, that he knows very well how to control the game."
There have even been calls in recent times from certain quarters for Sharma to be appointed as India's limited-overs skipper. His tremendous success while leading the Mumbai Indians has added more credence to these demands.
Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma getting the best out of his players
Aakash Chopra also highlighted that Rohit Sharma tends to allow his players to make their own decisions and gives limited suggestions. In this regard, Chopra said:
"The third thing about him, if you talk to anyone who has played under him, they will tell you that Rohit as a captain will give you few suggestions but before that, he will ask you what you require, which makes you most comfortable."
The 43-year-old signed off by stating that Sharma's ability to extract the best from his players is somewhat akin to MS Dhoni.
"He tries to run the game according to that and makes minor alterations to just get the team on track. He knows his players' strengths and how to get the best out of them, something similar to the qualities Dhoni has."
Numerous Indian players, especially from the Mumbai Indians setup, have lauded Rohit Sharma's approach to captaincy. They have also praised the freedom he provides them with to play their game.