"He might forget whether he has decided to bat or bowl at the toss, but he never forgets his gameplan" - Vikram Rathour on Rohit Sharma
Former Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour praised skipper Rohit Sharma and termed him a player's captain. The duo have worked together since Ravi Shastri's regime as head coach and recently shared the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.
Rohit gradually became the captain across formats after Virat Kohli's run at the helm. Since taking over, he led India to three successive finals in ICC events along with an Asia Cup triumph ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Rohit has cultivated a reputation as a player's captain and prioritized a stable and open team environment. Almost every youngster, if not all, has praised how he has guided them into the team. They have also emphasized Rohit's ability to showcase empathy.
Vikram Rathour revealed that despite the skipper's notorious reputation of being forgetful, the gameplan never erodes from his mind under any circumstances.
“He might forget whether he has decided to bat or bowl at the toss, or his phone and iPad in the team bus but he never forgets his gameplan. He is very good at it and is a very shrewd tactician,” Rathour said on the podcast “Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli.”
Rohit Sharma has had instances where he has forgotten his passport ahead of a tour or while returning. He once famously forgot his planned decision after winning the toss during an ODI contest against New Zealand in 2023.
"I have never seen a captain, who is so invested in team meetings and strategies" - Vikram Rathour on Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is also known to be quite involved in the team's preparation and spends considerable time on data and strategy behind the scenes.
"He is a player’s captain. He is invested with the players heavily. I have never seen a captain, who is so invested in team meetings and strategies. He spends a lot of time on the team’s strategy. He is part of the bowlers’ meeting, batters meeting. He wants to sit with the bowlers and batters to try and understand what they are thinking. He invests a lot of time with the players," Rathour said in the same interaction.
Vikram Rahtour opened up on Rohit Sharma's decision to introduce Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the death overs in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
The move proved to be the turning point as Bumrah's two overs pinned the Proteas to a corner and gave Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya enough runs to defend in the final couple of overs.
“He is tactically very good as a captain. In the T20 World Cup final, he finished Bumrah’s over early. A lot of people must have questioned that decision but that decision put us in the situation, where 16 was needed in the last over. His tactical decisions on the field are spot on. Sitting outside It surprises you as a coach as well. We from outside sometimes think what he is doing but then you realise what he has done after a while," Rahtour concluded.
Rohit Sharma had a solid series with the bat in the recent tour of Sri Lanka, but India lost by a 0-2 margin. He will be seen in the upcoming home season, beginning with a Test series against Bangladesh.