India won its third Champions Trophy title after beating New Zealand in the final held in Dubai. This is India’s second ICC trophy in less than 12 months, having won the T20 World Cup in June last year. With this win, Rohit Sharma became only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to have won at least two ICC trophies. Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag was in awe of the Indian captain after the Champions Trophy triumph and said that Rohit’s captaincy is very underrated, considering how he handles his bowlers on the field and talks to them to make them understand his plans and to know what the bowlers think is a good plan to dismiss a particular batter.
Expert’s Corner
“We underrate his captaincy, but after these two trophies, he became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC titles. The way the captain has used his bowlers, the way he has handled the team, the way he has guided the team, and whatever communication he does, he does it very clearly. Whether it’s playing Harshit Rana first ahead of Arshdeep Singh or then bringing in Varun Chakravarty in place of Harshit Rana, he has done good communication with his players, and that was important. That’s why Rohit Sharma is a better captain,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz Live.
The Communication
The former Indian captain was of the opinion that Rohit keeps things simple by letting the players know what is required of them and what their role is in the team. Moreover, he makes fellow players feel comfortable and secure about their place in the team. “He thinks less about himself, more about his team, his teammates. He makes them comfortable. He realises that if a player has insecurity, then his performance will not come. That’s why he doesn’t let anyone feel insecure in that team. He takes everyone with him. This is the need for a better captain and leader. And Rohit Sharma is doing it very well,” Sehwag added.
The Performance
Rohit Sharma played a crucial inning of 76 runs in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand and stitched a crucial 105-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the first wicket. The right-hander started aggressively in the first powerplay and pulled Kyle Jamieson for a six on the second ball of his innings, which gave India the much-needed momentum in a tricky chase on a challenging surface in Dubai.