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Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin encountered a tough question as he was asked to compare Indian team's performance under Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's leadership respectively. Haddin, who played 66 Tests, 126 ODIs and 34 T20Is for Australia, acknowledged the unique qualities both players bring to the table, emphasising their valuable contributions as key players for the Indian team since their international debuts.
Shared Goal, Unfulfilled Dream
Haddin feels that both captains have played crucial roles in shaping the current Indian team. However, neither has been able to fulfill the nation's long-standing desire of securing an ICC trophy since 2013.
Brad Haddin dissects Virat and Rohit's captaincy
In his recent appearance Brad Haddin, where the conversation briefly touched upon the captaincy comparison, he reiterated his stance, acknowledging the positive contributions of both leaders during their respective captaincy stints. Notably, both the batting maestros are gearing up for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which is slated to kick off from March 22.
Virat Kohli will be seen in Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) opening IPL 2024's match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Gujarat Titans on March 24, marking his first season without the captaincy role since 2013.
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“That’s a damn good question. Now how I’m going to answer that I thought Virat changed the way India prepared for their cricket. They became really ready. He held his playgroup to a high standard and he’s one of those captains who said I’m not going to get you to do anything that I’m not doing myself.” Haddin said in a LiSTNER postcast.
“You’ve seen the athleticism in the Indian cricket team change and their mentality towards it. They were feeling energetic – their fitness and they dived when Virat Kohli took over.” – Haddin further said.
Following his observations about Kohli's leadership, Haddin shifted his focus to Rohit's strengths as captain. He highlighted Rohit's distinct leadership style, stressing on his ability to foster a strong sense of unity and camaraderie within the team followed by his exceptional strategic thinking and decision-making on the field.
The former Australia skipper specifically pointed to Rohit's tactical prowess as a key factor in India's successful 2023 ODI World Cup campaign on home soil. India ended up losting the ODI World Cup 2023 final to Australia but impressed everyone with their unbeaten streak till the title clash.
“But on the other hand, Rohit Sharma is as good a captain tactically that you’ll see. He’s had a lot of success in the IPL. He’s captained there since Ricky Ponting left. And that would have been over 10 years. The players play for him and tactically he’s as good as you’ll get in India and non-continent conditions. That’s the best I can answer that,”Haddin signed off.
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