"He doesn't look animated but the team that plays under him attacks" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's captaincy
Aakash Chopra has highlighted the contrast between Rohit Sharma's unanimated captaincy style and the aggressive brand of cricket Team India have used under his leadership.
Sharma took over from Virat Kohli as the Indian team's T20I skipper after the World Cup last year and in other formats soon thereafter. The Mumbaikar has asked the Men in Blue to play an aggressive brand of cricket since taking over leadership responsibilities.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra delved into the captaincy styles of the plethora of skippers in the Indian team currently. Regarding Sharma, he said:
"Rohit Sharma is a very interesting character as a captain. The one thing I like about him a lot is that when you meet Rohit Sharma or see him on the ground, he doesn't look animated but the team that plays under him attacks."
Chopra pointed out that Sharma enables the players to play aggressively by giving them the security of their place in the Indian side. The cricketer-turned-commentator explained:
"We have seen that they play with freedom or you can say aggression. The main reason for that is he gives confidence to the team, that they have made a philosophy, they will play according to that, and that he is standing behind the players and will not let them get dropped."
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The likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have highlighted the Mumbai Indians' skipper's role in their growth as cricketers.
Avesh Khan, who was taken to the cleaners in a couple of T20Is against the West Indies, was also given the required backing. He has been included in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022.
"He recognizes the pulse of the game" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's tactical style
Aakash Chopra was also appreciative of Sharma's immaculate reading of the game. He observed:
"We all like his (Rohit's) captaincy a lot. I feel he recognizes the pulse of the game, he comes to know which way the game is heading, especially in white-ball cricket, he manages the game extremely well."
Chopra added that the Indian skipper's tactics and style are akin to that of MS Dhoni and elaborated:
"He makes things happen, whenever you see the game in Rohit's captaincy, you feel the guy is in control. A few glimpses of MS Dhoni are seen in Rohit Sharma as far as planning and demeanor are concerned."
Sharma has enjoyed great success as Team India skipper. He has a 100 percent win record in the two Tests he has captained and has won more than 80 percent of the matches he has overseen in ODIs and T20Is as well.