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'With Rohit Sharma at the helm, there's nothing of that sort': What makes IND captain different from past leaders
Former BCCI chief selector was highly impressed with Rohit Sharma's transformation as captain in red-ball cricket.
Rohit Sharma once again set the standards by leading the Indian team from the front with an explosive start against Bangladesh in the second Test in Kanpur. After losing around two and a half days of play due to rain, India came out in the middle on Day 4 with a plan to get the result out of this game and the bowlers stuck with their plans and bundled out Bangladesh for 233. Meanwhile, it was the batters who set the game on fire with a record-breaking effort as they adopted an ultra-attacking batting approach to gain the upper hand in the match.
Rohit didn't waste any time and charged down the ground to smash a six on the first ball he faced which set the tone for the other batters. The swashbuckling opener didn't spend much time in the middle, but till he was there, it was absolute box-office stuff for the Kanpur crowd.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul scored blistering half-centuries and boosted India's batting onslaught as the hosts declared their whirlwind first innings on 285-9 from just 34.4 overs, after Bangladesh were bowled out for 233 on a whirlwind day four in Kanpur.
Former BCCI chief selector Saba Karim was highly impressed with Rohit's transformation as captain in red-ball cricket.
"I think it reveals a lot about Rohit Sharma's character. I think that's the kind of transformation we have seen in Rohit Sharma's captaincy in Test cricket now and before that we have seen in white ball cricket in T20 and ODI World Cups," Karim said on Jio Cinema.
Karim asserted that Rohit also has the resources in the lineup to walk the talk with both bat and ball.
"I think Rohit's intentions have always been very clear. The decision-making has been very precise and I think it is good in a way that he's got players or resources in his lineup who can follow the path that he treads, and he leads by example all the time, and I've seen that in the past and even now in this Test innings. When he wants to impose as a team that you need to win this encounter, this is the way you have to take the game forward. And I think that's what Rohit and company have done so far," said Karim.
A very refreshing sight from Rohit Sharma's captaincy
India reached 50 runs in three overs, 100 in 10.1 and 200 in 24.2 -- the fastest ever by a test team -- in their bid to force a result in a Test which has lost more than two days' play to bad weather.
Karim further pointed out what made Rohit different from the captains of the past as India won't mind going after the bowlers right from the first over itself.
"So, this is the most pleasing and a very refreshing sight from Rohit Sharma's captaincy. If you have seen in the past by earlier captains at times, They say 'Let's take the time, let us settle down, then we'll take it forward. Let's play the 1st 5-6 overs and then we'll try and accelerate. But with Rohit Sharma at the helm, there's nothing of that sort. There are no half measures whatsoever. From the first ball, you need to make your intent very clear," said Karim.
