NEW DELHI: In a recent comparison, former Indian wicket-keeper
Parthiv Patel
juxtaposed the leadership qualities of Mumbai Indians‘
Rohit Sharma
with those of Chennai Super Kings‘ talisman MS Dhoni. Patel noted that Rohit’s captaincy has been consistently devoid of major errors or blunders, contrasting with the occasional mistakes made by Dhoni throughout his extensive IPL tenure.
While commending Rohit, Parthiv emphasised that he brings an unparalleled sense of calmness to the team.
“The best example is the two IPLs that MI won by just one run each. That would not have been possible if you don’t have a captain who can stay calm on the ground.
“When there’s a tense match, sometimes wrong decisions or blunders are made. But the hallmark of Rohit Sharma’s captaincy is that in the last 10 years, you don’t remember that he made a blunder.
“Even Dhoni has made blunders like giving Pawan Negi an over, but if you see Rohit, you’ll never see a blunder. Keeping the process simple is something that Dhoni advises, but we see Rohit practice that in games,” Parthiv told Jio Cinema on Tuesday.
Former Indian fast bowler
Zaheer Khan
highlighted Rohit’s adeptness at making decisions based on the prevailing circumstances, a skill he considers to be one of the most challenging tasks for a captain in the IPL.
“You can plan for a game in advance but nobody knows how proceedings will unfold in the middle. He (Rohit) acts according to situations and takes decisions, and many times they are different from what may have been planned in the run-up to the game.
“I think that’s his strength. In the IPL, taking on-the-spot decisions is one of the biggest challenges for captains and he did that well for MI,” Zaheer said.
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According to Parthiv, Rohit wholeheartedly supported his players, even when they were grappling with difficulties, demonstrating unwavering faith in their abilities.
“I think the most important thing is that he (Rohit) supports his players. The best examples of this are
Hardik Pandya
and
Jasprit Bumrah
. Bumrah came into the MI set up in 2014 and by 2015, his performance wasn’t great,” Parthiv said.
“They even pondered sending him back after half the season. But Rohit Sharma believed in his ability and from 2016 onwards, his performance has been excellent,” added the former India wicketkeeper, who played 25 Tests.
Bumrah, who joined the Mumbai Indians setup in 2014, has since evolved into India’s premier fast bowler across all three formats of the game. His contributions have been instrumental in Mumbai Indians’ triumphs in the IPL.
Pandya, after joining Mumbai Indians in 2015, progressed to lead the Gujarat Titans to victory in the IPL in 2022. He has now returned to the Mumbai Indians as captain, replacing Rohit.
“Same with Hardik Pandya. He came in 2015 and became popular. His 2016 season wasn’t great but MI stuck with him and Pandya became the player he is today,” Parthiv concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
