As India celebrates their 4-1 Test series victory over England, the tales demonstrating Rohit Sharma’s incredible leadership skills continue to astonish.
Rohit as captain creates a whole different attitude. He may freely blurt out some provocative phrases and remarks that are caught on the stump mic, but this does not reflect how supportive he is of his players. Ashwin recently disclosed how Rohit went out of his way to ensure the spinner arrived home on time to care for his mother, while Jaiswal stated that Rohit’s game knowledge and support of players is ‘next level’.
Identifying promising potential and backing them
As Rohit enjoys the tide of love from his players, another event has emerged that demonstrates his ability to identify genuine and promising potential. Former India and Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel recounted an occasion in which Rohit did not hesitate to support Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the early stages of their IPL career. According to Parthiv, Bumrah almost didn’t play a second season with the team due to MI’s decision to drop him midway through a season. However, Rohit’s persistence led to Bumrah’s success as he backed him throughout.
‘Rohit is always with the players and the biggest examples of it are Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah joined MI in 2014, but when he played his first season in 2015, it didn’t turn out that well. MI had decided to drop Bumrah midway through the season but Rohit felt this is one solid player and that they should keep him. And you saw how from 2016, Bumrah’s performance reached the next level,’ Parthiv said during the Legends Lounge Show on Jio Cinema.
Backing Hardik Pandya and trusting his capabilities
Bumrah arrived in 2013, but despite playing 17 matches in the first three seasons, he only took 11 wickets. But with Rohit’s help, Bumrah was a whole different beast. He took 16 wickets in 14 matches in 2016 and never looked back. Similarly,
Rohit had the same trust in Pandya. After accumulating112 runs and taking one wicket in 2015, Hardik got his India debut, although the 2016 season was not very promising. Despite scoring only 44 runs and taking three wickets in 11 matches, Hardik had Rohit on his side, and he steadily climbed the ladder to success.
‘Same with Hardik Pandya. When he joined in 2015, he became quite the rage but in 2016 he had a bad season. The thing is when you’re an uncapped player, franchises release you quickly and then assess how a player is performing in Ranji Trophy or other domestic matches before maybe taking them back. But Rohit did not let it happen. That’s why these guys went on to become the players that they did,’ mention Parthiv.