"The 2 sixes he hit off 2 balls, that thinking was more important" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's captaincy in IND vs BAN 2024 2nd Test
Aakash Chopra has lauded Rohit Sharma for his ultra-aggressive batting approach as skipper in the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur. He pointed out that the two sixes he hit off his first two deliveries in the first innings showed the path to the entire team.
India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets on Tuesday, October 1, to seal the two-match series 2-0. Rohit scored a blazing 23 off 11 deliveries in India's first-innings total of 285 for nine declared.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Chopra was asked how much credit for the win should go to Rohit's captaincy and his bowling changes.
"You will have to give him credit for his thinking. The two sixes he hit off two balls, that thinking was more important because then there was no difference in what he said and what he did. You say that you want to play like that but when you show it by doing it, the entire team is behind you," he responded.
The former India opener opined that the hosts' buccaneering first-innings approach would have been a collective call between Rohit and Gautam Gambhir.
"That was worth watching - 50 runs in three overs, 100 runs in 10 overs, and then the fastest 150 and 200, and you said you would declare without even playing 50 overs. You can give credit to the new pairing of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir for that because these are collective decisions," Chopra observed.
Chopra added that the second-innings declaration in the Chennai Test would have also been a collective decision. He noted that Gambhir and even Virat Kohli would have provided their input as the leadership group works together.
"When you have five bowlers of this level, your job as a captain is very easy" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's rotation of his bowlers
![Rohit Sharma has a potent bowling attack at his disposal. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/67a57-17278640923593-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra noted that Rohit Sharma does not have an arduous task as a skipper on the field.
"When you have five bowlers of this level, your job as a captain is very easy. Whomever you give the ball to, you know if not now, sometime later, if not from this end, then the other end. So if you go with that thinking, he is blessed that he has a bowling unit already prepared like this," he reasoned.
The reputed commentator added that Rohit wasn't tested enough as a captain because of the Bangladesh batters' approach.
"You can praise him for that as he has prepared it or how many opportunities he gave to whom. But at this time, bowling changes, this way or that way, the opposition team has played in such a way that they have surprised all of us. The two-and-a-half days matches you were talking about, those pitches were very different," Chopra noted.
Shadman Islam (50) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (19) kept the Indian bowlers at bay for more than 13 overs on the fifth morning of the Kanpur Test.
However, Ravindra Jadeja's dismissal of Shanto, once Rohit Sharma introduced the left-arm spinner into the attack, triggered a collapse as Bangladesh lost their remaining six wickets for 55 runs.