Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj has snubbed his own student to announce India's best captain ahead of Champions Trophy 2025. Sanjay Bharadwaj has weighed in on the debate of India's best captain, just ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled to get underway from February 19. Bharadwaj has chosen Rohit Sharma as the best Indian captain, placing him above the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and even Gautam Gambhir himself.
Rohit Sharma's last appearance on the field was during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia. His recent form, however, has been a cause for concern. He faced scrutiny after a disappointing performance in the series as he could only score 31 runs across five innings. It only added to his batting woes which has seen him notching just 164 runs in the last 15 Test innings smashing just one half-century.
Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach reveals India's best captain
During an appearance on the Raunak Podcast, Sanjay Bhardwaj was posed with the question of who he considers the best captain among MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gambhir. Bhardwaj took no time to declare Rohit Sharma as the best, citing feedback from younger players who describe him as a fun-loving and approachable individual.
"Jaise jo team ke bachche hain, jo batate hain, baat-baath karte hain, toh usmein Rohit Sharma hai. Wo kehte hain ki back karta bohot zyada, masti aati uske saath khelte hain, wo khud mast aadmi hai, toh masti aati uske saath khelte hain. [Rohit Sharma is the Best Captain. When I talk to the kids & players, they say that Rohit Sharma is the best, he is a very good person & we enjoy playing with him and he's a very fun loving person.]," said during a Podcast with Raunak.
The upcoming ODI series against England will be a big test for Rohit Sharma, providing him with a crucial chance to rediscover his form before Champions Trophy. Notably, India's Champions Trophy campaign begins on February 20 against Bangladesh, with all their matches scheduled to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India will then take on their arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23.
India’s squad for ODI series against England:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja
India's Champions Trophy squad:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja