Rohit Sharma is truly living the dream. While he may have been relieved of his duties as captain of the Mumbai Indians, the India captain has been on a roll in recent months. Following India's historic victory at the T20 World Cup, Rohit was honored as the International Cricketer of the Year at the prestigious CEAT Awards in Mumbai. Since taking on the role of captain in November 2021, Rohit's leadership skills have only continued to impress. Not only is Rohit a standout performer with the bat, but it is his humility and dedication that set him apart from his peers. His teammates, whether senior or junior, all speak highly of his leadership qualities. The team camaraderie under Rohit's captaincy is unparalleled, with memories of the joyous medal celebrations from the World Cup still fresh in their minds. Even former head coach Rahul Dravid has lauded Rohit for his exceptional qualities both on and off the field. It is no surprise that everyone who has had the opportunity to play under Rohit holds him in high regard. His character and sportsmanship truly shine through, making him a role model for aspiring cricketers everywhere.
But being Rohit hasn't always a bed of roses. As Jatin Sapru pointed out, Rohit is like that older brother, who will scold you for your mistakes, but also love you later and make up for it. But while the love part tends to sound hunky dory, the scary side of Rohit is not something a player would want to entertain. Mohammed Shami, the India pacer, explained how Rohit, as captain, is brilliant, but also warned against riling him up.
"The best thing about Rohit Sharma is that he gives you freedom but if you don't live up to his expectations then the reactions we see on the screen, the ones we understand without him saying anything, start to come out," Shami said at the award function.
Rohit is a full-on entertainer. Visuals of him being up to his shenanigans – most of which are recorded on the stump-mic, is what has made watching his fielding as entertaining as his batting. It wasn't too long ago that Rohit immortalised the phrase 'Garden mein ghoomne waale ladke'. For Rohit to understand it, it's imperative that deep down at some stage, he too, at some point in his career, was one of the 'garden-strolling' cricketers. But at the same time, he takes his job equally seriously.
Shreyas Iyer agreesShami's sentiments were echoed by Shreyas Iyer, who was in attendance. Iyer, one of Rohit's old mates from the Mumbai cricketing circuit touched on another fascinating trait of his skipper – his tendency to lose words – saying it's up to the players to guess, the who, what, when, where and why.
"Shami is actually right. We have to fill in the worlds. Woh, yeh, usko, isko. So these words are for us to fill. We just visualise, who and what it is that he is talking about. But we understand his feelings; we've been playing with him for so many years," Iyer said.
That is when Rohit capped off the segment in his typical witty fashion: "I keep asking them to be themselves, right? But for that, I have to be myself," he said, triggering a laughter in the arena.
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