Rohit Sharma turned 35 on Saturday, 30 April. The cricket fraternity is celebrating the birthday of one of the finest batsmen of this era. As the superstar cricketer turns a year older, Indian fans are hoping that he will achieve great success on and off the field in an exciting and packed international cricket season.
The last 6 months of Rohit Sharma’s career have been very good. The most successful captain of the Indian Premier League took over as India’s white-ball captain after Virat Kohli stepped down as T20I captain following the senior national team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup last year. Rohit was the obvious choice for white-ball captaincy after Kohli was sacked as ODI captain as well.
In January this year, Test captaincy handed over to Rohit Also when Kohli took an unexpected decision of quitting the job after India’s 3-Test series loss in South Africa which he loved to do. It was surprising to see Rohit’s dominance, especially in the red-ball format. The star batsman was struggling to find a place in the XI till 2019 when he was promoted to open the batting. A golden run with the bat made him one of the most indispensable members of the Test team. Not many eyebrows were raised when Rohit was handed over the reins of the Test captaincy as the star batsman rewarded his dedication and hunger for performing well in the whites.
burden of hope
All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma who will have to shoulder the burden of being the all-format captain of the most followed cricket team in the world. Ask Virat Kohli, as MS Dhoni, work is not as rosy as it looks. Dhoni had left the Test captaincy before retiring. Kohli enjoyed considerable success as an all-format captain and led India to unprecedented heights in whites, but his inability to lead India to the white-ball trophy at ICC events has been a much talked-about aspect of his captaincy.
See also: Rohit’s iconic moments
Rohit has a proven record as a captain. As India’s stand-in captain, Rohit won the Asia Cup, the Nidahas Trophy and his record as captain of Mumbai Indians – 5 titles in 9 years is a staggering one, but the pressure of leading the senior national team has been met. Kind of different.
Rohit Sharma led India to beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in his first series as Test captain (AFP photo)
Good start from Rohit
Rohit Sharma has made a great start. India defeated New Zealand in their first assignment as full-time captain. He overtook the West Indies team in ODIs and T20Is before defeating Sri Lanka in T20Is and 2 Tests.
However, tough challenges lie ahead for the Mumbai man who is known to maintain his composure and act with his amazing mix of visceral experience and data-driven decisions. With head coach Rahul Dravid in the dressing room, Rohit could not have asked for a calm and clear atmosphere at the top.
Rohit seems to have drawn a clear roadmap for the biggest tournament of 2022 – the T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia in October-November. Whether it is a much-needed change in India’s T20 approach or backing Sanju Samson, Yuzvedra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, highlighting the need for experts for Australian conditions, Rohit has shown the world that he is looking forward.
challenges
Some areas of concern for the influential captain are the transition phase and his own form and fitness. One can only hope that Mumbai Indians’ Horror run in IPL 2022 (8 losses in as many matches – worst start by a team in the history of the league) There is one deviation and Rohit’s confidence will not grow further. Rohit has worked hard on his fitness and has been looking sharp on the field since returning to the set-up after missing the most important tour of South Africa earlier this year.
How Rohit treats Virat Kohli, who is going through a downturn in form The next few critical months will be crucial for India’s progress. As a Test captain, Rohit needs to address the future of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who are battling for a comeback in the team after being dropped for the Sri Lanka series at home.
After battling a lot of ups and downs in a decorated career, Rohit Sharma has all the tools to make an everlasting impact as a captain at the highest level. India depend on Rohit to help them end their disappointing 8-year wait for the ICC title. Can Hitman take down the bull’s eye?