When an injury-ridden Team India side defied the odds and stamped their authority on Australian soil in the 2020-2021 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had famously said that Virat Kohli's character and personality stamp rubbed off on his teammates. A year later, India's most successful Test captain stepped down and his long-time deputy Rohit Sharma ascended the leadership throne across all formats.
In his debut World Cup campaign as India's captain, white-ball maverick Rohit had high hopes of emulating legendary MS Dhoni at the grandest stage. Despite starting as strong title contenders, Rohit-led India were dumped out of T20 World Cup in the semi-finals by eventual champions England. India's all-format captain Rohit is now set to play his first international match after India's humiliating 10-wicket trounce to England on Sunday. The veteran opener will lead India in the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against hosts Bangladesh.
Offering an interesting assessment of Rohit's form and his captaincy stint during a media interaction organised by the Sony Sports Network, former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh opined that the veteran India opener should take inspiration from his predecessor (Kohli). Maninder believes Rohit still stands a chance to repeat Dhoni's monumental feat in the 2023 World Cup.
"When you not scoring runs, then things become difficult for the captain also on the field. No matter how much you gonna say that ‘a captain doesn't think about his performance but he only thinks about his team’. But if he is not performing well, it does play on your mind when he is handling the team, when he is handling his bowlers on the field - (Kabhi na kabhi dimaag mein ata he hoga - ki run nahi bun rhey) I’m not scoring as many runs as I should be. Being a captain if you're not performing, it does affect the team's performances as well. And I think that is what has happened," Maninder told Hindustan Times in a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
{{/usCountry}}"When you not scoring runs, then things become difficult for the captain also on the field. No matter how much you gonna say that ‘a captain doesn't think about his performance but he only thinks about his team’. But if he is not performing well, it does play on your mind when he is handling the team, when he is handling his bowlers on the field - (Kabhi na kabhi dimaag mein ata he hoga - ki run nahi bun rhey) I’m not scoring as many runs as I should be. Being a captain if you're not performing, it does affect the team's performances as well. And I think that is what has happened," Maninder told Hindustan Times in a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
{{/usCountry}}While batting icon Kohli emerged as the leading run-getter for India at the T20 World Cup, skipper Rohit struggled throughout the ICC event. The 35-year-old averaged only 19.33 and scored runs at a below-par strike-rate of 106.42. Thus, Rohit still have a point to prove with the willow after a forgetful batting show at the T20 World Cup.
“So I'm sure, in this time-off after the T20 World Cup till now, till the Bangladesh series starts, he would have really sat and thought about his shortcomings - where he has gone wrong and worked on it. Because I still feel he has got a lot of cricket left in him and you know he is a game changer. So I really hope he has worked on his shortcomings and comes back strong. Because the ODI World Cup is in India in 1 years time and he is gonna play a very important role. So, I'm really looking forward to seeing him - the way he bats and gets his form back,” Maninder added.
Watch the LIVE coverage of Bangladesh vs India - 1st ODI on SONY SPORTS TEN 5 (English) SONY SPORTS TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY SPORTS TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 4th December 2022 from 12:30 PM.