Harbhajan Singh has lauded Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the first ODI between Team India and West Indies. Rohit Sharma was leading the Indian team in an ODI for the first time since taking over from Virat Kohli as the full-time white-ball skipper. The Mumbaikar started his tenure on a positive note, with Team India registering a comprehensive six-wicket win in the encounter.
India’s white-ball captain showcased stunning form in the encounter, scoring 60 crucial runs at the top from just 51 deliveries. His knock was instrumental in the hosts clinching the contest by six wickets.
Harbhajan Singh: Rohit Sharma Gives A Lot Of Freedom To The Bowlers
During an interaction on Star Sports, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was asked if he saw anything different from Rohit Sharma as skipper. Rohit Sharma’s stint as the full-time ODI captain of Indian cricket got the perfect start as the Men in Blue defeated West Indies by six wickets in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium in India’s 1000th ODI-the most by any team in the format.
He responded: “I saw he [Rohit] was giving a lot of encouragement to all the bowlers. I have played a lot of cricket with him, that’s the kind of captain he is, he gives a lot of freedom to the bowlers and tells them to just go out there and express themselves.”
The former India off-spinner was particularly appreciative of Rohit Sharma for not imposing himself on the bowlers.
Harbhajan Singh elaborated: “If you don’t know the plan, then he has a second plan. It’s a great thing from a captain if you get to do what you have to do as a bowler. That’s exactly what any bowler would require.”
Rohit Sharma has an excellent overall record as Team India’s ODI skipper. He has led the Men In Blue to a win in nine of the 11 matches he has captained in the 50-over format of the game. Rohit Sharma was making a comeback to the international stage after a two-month layoff due to a hamstring injury looked in fine touch with the bat too.
Harbhajan Singh: Rohit Sharma Was Spot On With His Captaincy
Harbhajan Singh spoke in glowing terms about Rohit Sharma’s handling of his two spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar.
He explained “Rohit Sharma was spot on with his captaincy. He rotated his bowlers very nicely. When Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar were bowling, he was always there for them. He was talking to them in between the overs.”
The 41-year-old was also asked whether Deepak Hooda was unfortunate not to be given the ball.
Harbhajan Singh responded: “I don’t think he [Hooda] was unlucky. Whatever little opportunity he got in the latter part of the innings, he did what was required to be done at that point in time. I think he is a fabulous cricketer who has done really well over the years in domestic cricket and it’s good to see him in the Indian team.”
Harbhajan Singh concluded by saying that he has great expectations from debutant Deepak Hooda. He added the 26-year-old can play as a finisher at either No. 5 or No. 6. Suryakumar Yadav(34*) and debutant Deepak Hooda(26*) steadied the ship for the Men in Blue and saw India through with their unbeaten 62-run partnership.
Earlier, Indian spinners helped restrict West Indies to a score of just 176 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first. Yuzvendra Chahal took four wickets for 49 runs while Washington Sundar, who was playing an international game for India for the first time since March last year took three scalps, conceding 30 runs.
Brief Score: West Indies: 176 in 43.5 overs (Jason Holder 57, Yuzvendra Chahal 4/49, Washington Sundar 3/30, Prasidh Krishna 2/29). India: 178 for 4 in 28 overs (Rohit Sharma 60; Alzarri Joseph 2/45).