- Sunday, May 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
AT a time when India’s cricketing circles are abuzz with the alleged sacking of Virat Kohli as the captain in the 50-over format, new national skipper in the white-ball format Rohit Sharma said the former led India from the front for five years in the limited-overs formats.
He also said that he enjoyed “each and every moment” that he played under the ace batter.
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Speaking with ‘bcci.tv’, the 34-year-old opening batter threw light on how Team India had a “great time” under Kohli who stepped down as the captain in the 20-over format at the end of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last month and was replaced by Sharma in the one-day internationals a month later.
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“Five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game, that was the message to the entire squad,” Sharma said on the sidelines of the Indian Test squad’s training session in Mumbai ahead of the tour of South Africa starting later this month.
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“We have had a great time playing under him (Kohli) and I have played a lot of cricket under him, I have enjoyed each and every moment, still continue to do that,” he added, putting an end to all the conjectures that have floated about the professional relationship between the two premier batters.
The Indian cricket board has faced intense criticism from the fans of Kohli after he was replaced as the captain in the one-day internationals. The board said the decision was taken as having two different captains in the white-ball format would have been difficult.
Kohli has been India’s most successful captain in terms of winning percentage (more than 70 per cent) in the one-day internationals in 95 games. In the T20s, he has led India in 50 games with 30 wins, 16 defeats, two tied games and two without any result.
However, he has failed to win a single ICC trophy as the skipper and that according to many went against him to remain the captain in the 50-over format.
Sharma said he is aware of the challenge and would try to accomplish the unachieved feat.
“There are lot of things that we need to do right before we think of end result. The last ICC trophy (Champions Trophy), we won was in 2013,” he said.
“…But I don’t see anything wrong that we did after that Champions Trophy. We played well and performed as a team but just that we couldn’t get that extra inch,” he said. “That can happen as international cricket is very demanding but that’s the challenge as we are all professionals,” he added.
But he does feel that to win a global title, one needs to do a lot of things right.
“Lots of World Cups are coming and India will be eyeing to do well in lot of them. Our focus is on winning the championship but there is a process that we need to follow as a group.
“If you need to win the championship, there are lot of other things that you first need to take care of, then focus on the end goal. The focus will be on getting better as a player first and then collectively as a team,” he said.
For him, one of his primary tasks is to ensure that each player is aware why he has been picked in the team and what is expected of him.
“I have got limited opportunities to lead Team India but whenever I have got an opportunity, I have tried to keep it simple, tried to keep one thing in common, clear communication to players,” he said.
Sharma led India to winning the Asia Cup title in the UAE in 2018 in the absence of Kohli. In the Indian Premier League, he has led the Mumbai Indians to lift as many as five crowns.
With the captain, a number of India’s coaches have also been changed, including the head coach. Ravi Shastri has been succeeded by Rahul Dravid and the Sharma-Dravid duo saw India winning a T20 and Test series against New Zealand at home by 3-0 and 1-0 margins, respectively.
“Working with Rahul bhai, it was three-odd games but it was fantastic. We know how he has played his cricket, hard and tough. There has been a sense of relaxation as well, because it is important to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful,” Sharma said.
