"More important is if you are happy with the responsibility" - Rohit Sharma on the shelf life for a captain
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma dismissed the notion of shelf life for a captain and felt that the focus should be more on the responsibilities that come with the role.
Rohit was appointed the permanent skipper of the side in early 2022 and has an impressive overall track record as captain. In 85 games across formats as the Indian skipper, the 36-year-old has 64 wins and 21 losses, with two draws.
While his ultimate success has come as the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), with five IPL titles, Rohit has also impressed leading Team India.
In July last year, he became the first captain to lead their team to 14 consecutive victories in T20I history. Rohit also became the first Indian captain to lead the side to ODI and T20I series wins in England in the same month.
In an interview with the PTI, the Indian skipper felt there are far more important considerations for a leader than shelf life.
"There is no such thing as shelf life. You get a responsibility, you produce a result and more important is if you are happy with the responsibility that you have been entrusted with. These are more important questions than the shelf life," Rohit said.
The champion batter also led India to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Australia last year and the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) final this year.
Rohit Sharma's performances with the bat have remained consistent despite taking on the burden of captaincy, with his overall average across formats only dropping slightly from 43 to 40.63.
"I am a person who goes with the flow" - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma spoke about his captaincy style and his preference to make decisions on the fly rather than meticulously sticking only with the pre-match strategies.
The 36-year-old has the joint most IPL titles as captain alongside MS Dhoni in league history. Despite his IPL success, several questions have been raised about Rohit as Indian skipper in the aftermath of Team India's failure to clinch the title in the two ICC events with him at the helm.
"I am a person who goes with the flow. What I feel right now, I would want to do without thinking about what I want to do five or six months later. I like to take things as they come but prepare according to what is in store in the future," Rohit added.
With the team transitioning towards the next phase in T20 cricket, the upcoming ODI World Cup at home presents Rohit Sharma with a golden opportunity to lead India to their first ICC crown in a decade.
Following the Asia Cup and the ODI series against Australia, India will kick off their campaign at the Mega event against the Aussies in Chennai on October 8.