Indian national cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has revealed how former team captain MS Dhoni helped him shape his career. He spoke about how the wicketkeeper-batsman always instils confidence in youngsters by standing by their side and giving them assurance.
MS Dhoni is credited with taking the Indian national cricket team to great heights in all three formats of the game. Not just that, the wicketkeeper-batsman has been given full credit for providing team players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and others.
It was under his captaincy that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their debut for the Indian national cricket team. The duo have gone on to become the pillars of Indian cricket, helping the team reach a completely different level across all three formats.
Rohit Sharma struggled to find his place in the Indian team early on. But it was MS Dhoni who promoted him in the 2013 Champions Trophy and he has been unstoppable ever since. He has emerged as one of the best openers in the team and is also leading the team.
Rohit Sharma, while speaking about MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020, spoke about his journey with Dhoni and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman makes youngsters feel confident irrespective of the situation of the game. Speaking about the former captain’s impact, he stated:
“I made my World Cup debut with him (Dhoni), in 2007, and since then we have come a long way, we have played a lot of cricket together. His ability to be with the youngster and encourage him, no matter what the situation is in the game, no matter how a player is performing, he just tries to make sure that there is enough composure around that player, that the player doesn’t feel insecure, and I think that’s a very important thing when the player is just coming into the team.
“Even for a player who has played a lot of games, even for him, who can go through a bad patch, you need someone to come to you, pat you on the back and say ‘nothing to worry about, you have all the ability, talent and everything else, you just go out there and enjoy’. You need that kind of backing and support from your captain and that’s what we all had when he was captain,” Rohit Sharma told Star Sports.
His understanding of the game and ability to handle pressure are second to none – Virat Kohli on MS Dhoni
Virat Kohli, who also made his debut under MS Dhoni, spoke about the wicketkeeper-batsman’s understanding of the game. He highlighted Dhoni’s tactical brilliance as captain while talking about the time when he was his deputy. Reflecting on it, he explained:
“His understanding of the game and his ability to handle pressure is unparalleled. And his tactical ability, obviously, the world has seen that for so many years. His tactical brilliance as a captain. When I became captain as well, I used to talk about a lot of things with him.
“And the other way around, when I was vice-captain and he was captain, I always gave him ideas. And that’s why we have such a good relationship and mutual respect, because we have always fought for the best for the team.”
