"People confuse Rohit as a laidback cricketer who just lets the game drift" - Nasser Hussain praises Rohit Sharma's captaincy during IND-ENG series
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has praised Rohit Sharma's ability to adapt as a leader during the recently concluded India-England Test series.
With all the hype surrounding England's Bazball method, Team India unraveled in the series opener in Hyderabad to suffer a shocking 28-run defeat. However, an unfazed Rohit led India to a spectacular comeback, ending with a resounding 4-1 series win.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the five-match affair, Hussain pointed to how Rohit was willing to learn from his mistakes earlier during the series.
"I think sometimes people confuse Rohit as a laidback cricketer who just lets the game drift. There is a lot of skill, thought, and brilliance about his batting. And I thought he had an excellent series as captain. He himself said in the press conference that he has had to learn and adapt his own style of captaincy at times," said Hussain.
"Earlier on in the series, he didn't bowl (Ravi) Ashwin with the new ball. And (Ben) Duckett, sitting there and waiting with his nemesis Ashwin, would get to 60s-70s before Ashwin comes on. But Rohit learnt from something he wasn't getting right. In cricket, there is a grey area in there, and you do not get things right, sometimes," he added.
It was India's 17th straight Test series win on home soil dating back to 2012 and England's first series loss since Ben Stokes took over as permanent captain in mid-2022.
Meanwhile, Rohit hasn't tasted a Test series loss since taking over as captain in 2022.
"Don't confuse (Rohit with Virat's captaincy) because he has come off the back of Virat Kohli" - Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain further elaborated on how Rohit Sharma is different as a leader from his predecessor Virat Kohli, whose style was more in-your-face.
Kohli led India in 213 games across formats, winning 135 with a 63.38 win percentage. Meanwhile, Rohit has captained the side in 115 outings, winning 85 at a percentage of almost 74.
"Don't confuse (Rohit with Virat's captaincy) because he has come off the back of Virat Kohli. In your face, aggressive captain. In the huddle at Lord's, saying let's unleash hell on the England batting lineup. Rohit is not quite the same sort of person. He has that fire burning within," said Hussain.
The former England captain also praised head coach Rahul Dravid for instilling ruthlessness in the Indian side after the opening Test defeat in Hyderabad.
"And also Rahul as well, we know Rahul Dravid, losing that game in Hyderabad, would have hurt Rahul Dravid. Because they were ahead in that game. And one thing Dravid is, ruthless, and he would have wanted them to be more ruthless. I think we saw signs of that as the series progressed," stated Hussain.
Under Rohit, Team India reached the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup final last year.
The 36-year-old will lead the side in the upcoming T20 World Cup at the West Indies and U.S.A. starting in June.