IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma is a mixture of MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly, says Irfan Pathan
Winning five IPL trophies as the captain of the Mumbai Indians side has made Rohit Sharma one of the best leaders in the shortest format of the game. While some say that he captains like MS Dhoni, others say he has the captaincy traits of Sourav Ganguly. However, former India bowler Irfan Pathan feels that Rohit Sharma is a mix of both Dhoni and Ganguly.
In the IPL 2020 final, Sharma pulled off a captaincy masterclass by including Jayant Yadav in the playing XI. Yadav got rid of Shikhar Dhawan early in the match, which put Mumbai Indians on the front foot. Irfan said that any other captain would have played a pacer in that situation, but Rohit Sharma backed his instincts.
“The way he used Yadav showed his class. Any captain would have gone with a seamer. Rohit used his instinct. It showed how clear was his thinking. It showed that he’s a bowlers’ captain,” said Irfan Pathan to the Indian Express.
“He is a mixture of Dhoni and Ganguly. Ganguly trusted his bowlers and went by it. Dhoni trusted his bowlers but always took decisions with an instinct," he added.
Pathan also recalled other instances from IPL 2020 where Rohit Sharma proved why he is one of the most astute captains around.
"One of the games was getting close, so he used Bumrah in the 17th over, though he usually uses Bumrah in the 18th. Bumrah brought the game back in MI’s favour.
“Look at the way he used Pollard, he didn’t make him bowl initially but when wicket had double pace he used Pollard.”
Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in the IPL
Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in the IPL with five trophies, followed by MS Dhoni who has led Chennai Super Kings to three titles. The IPL 2020 title is overall the sixth title for Rohit Sharma, who also won the 2009 edition as a player for Deccan Chargers.