Aakash Chopra has highlighted the contrast between Rohit Sharma’s unanimated captaincy style and the aggressive brand of cricket Team India has used under his leadership.
Rohit Sharma took over from Virat Kohli as the Indian team’s T20I skipper after the T20I World Cup last year and in other formats soon thereafter. The Mumbaikar has asked the Men in Blue to play an aggressive brand of cricket since taking over leadership responsibilities.
Aakash Chopra : Rohit Sharma Doesn’t Look Animated But The Team Under Him Plays Aggressive Cricket
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra delved into the captaincy styles of the plethora of skippers on the Indian team currently.
Regarding Rohit Sharma, he said: “Rohit Sharma is a very interesting character as a captain. The one thing I like about him a lot is that when you meet Rohit Sharma or see him on the ground, he doesn’t look animated but the team that plays under him attacks.”
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rohit Sharma enables the players to play aggressively by giving them the security of their place on the Indian side.
The cricketer-turned-commentator explained: “We have seen that they play with freedom or you can say aggression. The main reason for that is he gives confidence to the team, that they have made a philosophy, they will play according to that, and that he is standing behind the players and will not let them get dropped.”
The likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have highlighted the Mumbai Indians’ skipper’s role in their growth as cricketers. Avesh Khan, who was taken to the cleaners in a couple of T20Is against the West Indies, was also given the required backing. He has been included in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022.
It was Rohit Sharma who advised Avesh Khan to slow down his pace after being pummeled by the West Indies during the recent T20I series. The Indian pacer said he got ‘enormous’ confidence from Rohit Sharma, who is known for backing his players to the hilt.
His match-winning figures of 2/17 in four overs helped the Indian team seal the 20-over series in the fourth match. Before his impressive spell, the pacer conceded 31 runs in 2.2 overs in the second T20I and 47 runs in three overs in the third. He had picked only 1 scalp.
Aakash Chopra: A Few Glimpses Of MS Dhoni Are Seen In Rohit Sharma As Far As Planning And Demeanor Are Concerned
Aakash Chopra was also appreciative of Rohit Sharma’s immaculate reading of the game.
He observed: “We all like his (Rohit’s) captaincy a lot. I feel he recognizes the pulse of the game, he comes to know which way the game is heading, especially in white-ball cricket, he manages the game extremely well.”
Aakash Chopra added that the Indian skipper’s tactics and style are akin to that of MS Dhoni and elaborated: “He makes things happen, whenever you see the game in Rohit’s captaincy, you feel the guy is in control. A few glimpses of MS Dhoni are seen in Rohit Sharma as far as planning and demeanor are concerned.”
MS Dhoni remains the only skipper to win all 3 ICC titles-the T20I World Cup (2007), the ODI World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013). Rohit Sharma has enjoyed great success as a Team India skipper. He has a 100% win record in the two Tests he has captained and has won more than 80% of the matches he has overseen in ODIs and T20Is as well.
Rohit Sharma has performed on the big stage and captained 35 T20Is so far in his career, winning 29 and losing six. His win percentage is 82.85%. India won 13 and lost 3 ODIs in 16 matches he captained in ODIs.