Rohit Sharma ended India’s drought of ICC trophy wins when he led the Men in Blue to the T20 World cup 2024 title, defeating South Africa in the final in June this year. It was redemption for Rohit as captain also as India had lost back-to-back finals to Australia in World Test Championship and ODI World Cup.
The entire Indian squad slumped to the ground when Hardik Pandya successfully guarded 16 off the final over, bringing Rohit and Virat Kohli’s T20I careers to a close and marking a fitting finale to Rahul Dravid’s term as India’s head coach.
Vikram Rathour, the previous India batting coach, praised Rohit’s tactical actions as moments of brilliance, admitting that these maneuvers frequently teeter on the verge of genius while also eliciting criticism.
In the final, Rohit Sharma took a bet. With Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller on fire, reducing the equation to 30 runs off 30 balls, Rohit opted to call in Jasprit Bumrah to finish his four overs. This meant India wouldn’t have him in the final two overs, but Rohit knew it was now or never.
Rohit Sharma is tactically very good as a captain: Vikram Rathour
The skipper trusted his instincts, and it proved to be a masterstroke. Bumrah conceded just four wickets in the 16th over and two more in the 17th, including Marco Jansen’s wicket, to put South Africa under pressure.
“He is tactically very good as a captain. In the T20 World Cup final, he finished Bumrah’s over early. A lot of people must have questioned that decision, but that decision put us in the situation, where 16 was needed in the last over. His tactical decisions on the field are spot on. Sitting outside It surprises you as a coach as well. We from outside sometimes think what he is doing but then you realize what he has done after a while,” Rathour said on the podcast ‘Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli’.
“His first quality is that as a batsman, he is a phenomenal player. I think he is someone who understands his game really well. He always has a clear game plan. Even as a leader, you will have to lead from the front. You have to perform to set the example. And since he has become the captain, he has always led by example,” added Rathour.
Almost every youngster who has played under Rohit has only nice things to say about the Indian skipper. Regarding the coaching staff, Rathour confesses he has yet to meet a skipper as involved as Rohit.
“He is a player’s captain. He is invested with the players heavily. I have never seen a captain, who is so invested in team meetings and strategies. He spends a lot of time on the team’s strategy. He is part of the bowlers’ meeting, batters meeting. He wants to sit with the bowlers and batters to try and understand what they are thinking. He invests a lot of time with the players,” he signed off.
Rohit Sharma is currently on a break and will return to action when India hosts Bangladesh for two Tests.
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