Fresh from his blockbuster return in the shortest format when Afghanistan toured India, veteran Indian opener Rohit Sharma was confirmed as the leader of the Men In Blue for the 2024 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. Senior batter Rohit succeeded batting icon Virat Kohli after Team India misfired at the T20 World Cup, Rohit guided the Rahul Dravid-coached side to the semi-finals of the Australia spectacle.
After India’s semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup, skipper Rohit led India to two ICC finals against Australia. India contested the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Pat Cummins and Co. at the Oval. Four months later, Rohit’s India collided with the mighty Australian side captained by pacer Cummins in the final of the ICC 50-over World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Confirmed to lead India in the 2024 World Cup, Rohit is backed by the Indian think tank to end the ICC trophy drought of the Asian giants.
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Former India pacer on ‘yaaro ka yaar’ Rohit
Leading the Indian side in the ongoing ICC event, Rohit has propelled the home side to a series win over England. Talking about the Indian skipper ahead of the 5th Test against England, former India pacer Praveen Kumar revealed how Rohit has gained the loyalty and respect of his teammates. Speaking to the Times of India, the former India fast bowler labelled Rohit as ‘yaaro ka yaar’ (friend of friends).
‘Sourav Ganguly was the one who…’
“Rohit is a fantastic skipper. He is leading the side really well. Sourav Ganguly was the one who built the team. He created the team with a mix of youngsters and experienced players. Rohit is ‘yaaro ka yaar’ (friend of friends). He scolds the players when they make mistakes and hugs them too. He guides them and gives them all liberty on the field,” Praveen was quoted as saying.
Hardik replaces Rohit at Mumbai Indians
Before leading the Indian side at the grandest stage of them all, Rohit will take up the role of a pure batter at the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rohit was replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as MI skipper for the new season. Rohit masterminded MI’s all five IPL title triumphs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
‘MI can’t take this big decision without Rohit’
“Rohit knows his role really well. He knows he has to go in the middle and score runs. I don’t think it (losing MI captaincy) would affect Rohit in any way because he knows his role well. It won’t matter to Rohit whether he is a captain or not. He is a mature and experienced cricketer. I am sure Mumbai Indians management must have spoken to Rohit before taking this decision (giving captaincy to Hardik). Without any conversation and talk with Rohit, MI can’t take this big decision,” Praveen explained.
