“I think I also have that” - When Rohit Sharma admitted that his captaincy style is similar to MS Dhoni
Rohit Sharma once admitted to having learned captaincy from MS Dhoni and felt he also has the same qualities as the latter. Sharma's comments came after he led the Indian team to a title victory in the 2018 Asia Cup.
In order to manage the workload and back injury issues, regular captain Virat Kohli opted to skip the Asia Cup. As a result, Sharma was chosen as the stand-in skipper for the continental tournament.
India and Bangladesh faced each other in the final in Dubai. The Men in Blue chased down the target of 223 and won the game by three wickets to lift the Asia Cup for a record seventh time. Shikhar Dhawan (342) and Rohit Sharma (317) were the top batters, while Kuldeep Yadav (10) and Jasprit Bumrah (8) took most wickets for India.
After the victory, Sharma received praise from the cricket fraternity for his 'cool and calm' presence like MS Dhoni.
Having made his debut and played under Dhoni for many years, Sharma spoke on their comparison:
“Look, we always learn from (MS) Dhoni because he has been such a good captain. Whenever we encountered a problem or a question on the field, he was always there with an answer. What I have observed, him captaining the team over the years, is that he never panics, takes a few seconds before taking a decision, thinks about it then decides…so there is that similarity..I think I also have that. I also try to think and then react." [H/T Hindustan Times]
On being asked by the reporter whether he is ready to be a full-time captain, Rohit Sharma said:
"Whenever the opportunity comes, I will be ready."
Rohit Sharma has been a successful leader for India across all formats
'Hitman' took over as India's all-format skipper in 2022, and since then has tasted success as a leader. He continued the team's impressive performance in the World Test Championship 2021-23, as they ended up as runners-up.
The 2023 ODI World Cup saw them remaining unbeaten until the final, where Australia outclassed them by six wickets. Recently, the Men in Blue secured the 2024 T20 World Cup title, while becoming the first team to win the tournament without losing a game.
On Tuesday (October 1), the Rohit Sharma-led side secured a 2-0 Test series whitewash against Bangladesh. As a result, they maintained their dominance at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.