“What I've done at Mumbai is brilliant because of the players I've had” - Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma has downplayed his role in the franchise’s success in the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Rohit, who was named India’s ODI captain on Wednesday, it is the players who have made MI what they are today.
Mumbai are the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL. They have won five titles, all under Rohit's leadership. But they failed to make it to the playoffs in IPL 2021.
Reflecting on MI’s success under his leadership, Rohit said on the show Backstage with Boria:
“What I have done at Mumbai is brilliant because of the players I have had. Honestly speaking, I have very little role to play there. The team that I had was fantastic. I want to give credit to, firstly, the management for creating such solid gun players and then creating that atmosphere for players to go and perform.”
Rohit added that, as leader he does take crucial decisions with regards to batting and bowling changes. However, at the end of the day, it’s all about the players and the team as a whole. The 34-year-old explained:
“There were certain decisions that I had to make - giving the last over, the first over to X,Y,Z… All those things, yes the captain plays a big part in that. Overall, its the players’ team.”
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Apart from winning five titles with MI as captain, Rohit also won an IPL as a player with Deccan Chargers in 2009.
“I feel the captain needs to stand at the back” - Rohit Sharma shares his leadership philosophy
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Rohit is known as a calm and composed leader, who does not put too much pressure on players.
Asked to share his thoughts on captaincy, the Team India opener explained:
“I feel the captain needs to stand at the back. He cannot be at the forefront. In terms of performance, he needs to be at the forefront, but in terms of everything else, he needs to be taking the backseat. A captain looks good when the team performs well and bad or horrible when the team doesn’t. I don’t think that is the right way to look at it. The captain is there to make sure that the right players are playing and there are a few tactical things to look after.”
Apart from being named captain of the ODI side, Rohit has also been chosen as the vice-captain of the Test team for the tour of South Africa.