'If captain doesn’t back a bowler, he looks lost': Ex-India star pinpoints glaring similarity between Dhoni and Rohit

India captain Rohit Sharma is usually a cool customer who gives his players the freedom to decide what they want to do.

Rohit Sharma proved why he's an astute captain irrespective of the format as India outwitted England to claim a 2-1 series success away from home. Led by Rohit, India won the Twenty20 series before sealing the ODI series against the 50-over world champions. India became just the third side to win an ODI series away to England since 2015.

MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Getty)

Rohit, who missed the delayed Edgbaston Test with coronavirus, returned as the leader and made an instant impact with his bowling changes. The 35-year-old is usually a cool customer who gives his players the freedom to decide what they want to do. Former skipper MS Dhoni, who also led the side with a calm demeanour, had similar traits, having captained the side to three major ICC titles including the 50-over World Cup in 2011.

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha pointed out how both players back their bowlers, who are cut adrift without proper support. The tweaker explained how Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal can thrive under the guidance of Rohit.

"There is some similarity in the leadership styles of Dhoni and Rohit. A bowler does well if he gets the confidence from the captain. If the captain doesn’t back the bowler, he sometimes looks lost out in the middle," Ojha told Cricbuzz.

“Kuldeep (Yadav) and (Yuzvendra) Chahal have often said that Rohit gives them cushion and confidence. Hardik (Pandya) also credited Rohit for backing him and giving him a sense of confidence. This is a similarity between all successful leaders.”

"Batters write his own destiny. But when it comes to bowlers, their destiny is in the captain’s hands. When a senior player or captain backs you on the ground, you get a lot of confidence," he added.

While Ojha underlined Rohit's leadership prowess, RP Singh reserved high praise for Hardik Pandya, who has been enjoying a stellar spell in world cricket. Pandya underwent a lower back surgery in 2019 and played sparingly for the national side.

He has now regained his bowling rythm with regular spells in white-ball cricket. The flamboyant Baroda all-rounder took career-best figures, 4/33 and 4/24, in the T20 and ODI series in England.

“Hardik has carried the confidence from GT’s win into the batting. When you lead, you need to show better discipline. Hardik has ticked all the boxes and leading Gujarat must have been of immense benefit for him. In IPL, 70 per cent of games are do-or-die situations. He has done it often there and is doing the same for India now," said the former India bowler.