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Rohit Sharma, the current captain of the Indian team, recently opened up about his feelings about leading the Men in Blue, especially during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at home, starting on Thursday, October 5.
When he first stepped into the international arena, it was MS Dhoni who was leading the team. Post Dhoni's era, Virat Kohli took the reins across all cricketing formats. Before taking on the top role, Rohit had been Virat's vice-captain.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Rohit reflected on the timing of his captaincy. He mentioned that while many would prefer to lead at a younger age, he recognized the significance of waiting his turn behind cricketing giants like Dhoni and Kohli.
“Obviously, you want to be at your peak for this, say when you are 26-27. But you cannot always get what you want. You are talking about the Indian captaincy and there have been stalwarts in the Indian team.”
“Many more players deserved to be the captain of the team. I had to wait for my turn and that’s absolutely fair enough. The guys before, Virat was before me, so was MS (Dhoni),” Rohit stated in his conversation with the Indian Express.
Under MS Dhoni's leadership, India played 332 matches and clinched titles in the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy, and 2007 T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, captained in over 200 games before relinquishing the role.
Rohit's exceptional batting skills were evident during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. He was the tournament's highest run-scorer, amassing 648 runs in nine games, with a notable average of 81. He also set a record by becoming the first to score five centuries in the competition.
Ahead of the upcoming major tournament, the experienced batsman has been in formidable form. He scored 194 runs across five games, boasting an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 107.78. Impressively, he registered fifties in four out of his last five ODI appearances.
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