"Keeping It Very Simple": Rohit Sharma Explains His Captaincy Mantra

Rohit Sharma led Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians to a record five titles before he became India's all-format captain. While he was handed the white-ball captaincy of the national team in December last year, Rohit was elected as the full-time Test captain of India in February, 2022. Talking about his style of captaincy, the right-handed batter said that he tries to keep things simple. Rohit added that confusion among players and their roles is the last thing he would want under his captaincy.

"What I have done over the years with the Mumbai Indians franchise and also the time that I have led India, it's just keeping it very-very simple and not complicate things too much. Making sure that... Whatever I have spoken of before about giving the guys that freedom. Making them understand what their role is. That is what I will be expecting of myself, that's what I want to do for the team, for the players to make sure there is no confusion," Rohit said on Star Sports' show 'Follow The Blues'. 

"That (confusion) is the last thing you want, especially when you are playing a high-profile tournament. We want to make sure all of that is taken care of and that's where my role becomes very, very crucial along with Rahul (Dravid) bhai. We will try and keep our focus on that. But for me, It's very simple. I try and keep things literally very, very simple," added Rohit.

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Further talking about his captaincy, Rohit said: "When you know certain players are going through tough times, we try to give them a clear understanding of what's happening. Making him understand what we expect from him, his role in this team, and all those kind of things. So, I don't go with any particular mantra when I play the game. Obviously, for me it's just to quickly adapt to certain individuals and then understand what they need, what are their strong points, where they are weak, try and you know give them feedback and work with them; be very specific in what the team is expecting from that individual."

"That is where the individual can blossom because when we give them the clarity of what the team is expecting from you, I think he will be able to work towards that direction and he can work on his game in many ways and then improve his game as well. So, I think those are the things that I always keep in mind," he added. 

While Rohit, like several other senior players, has been rested for India's ongoing three-match ODI series vs Zimbabwe, his next assignment will be the upcoming Asia Cup that kicks off on August 27. It is worth noting that India will start their campaign at the continental event with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on August 28.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket Asia Cup, 2022 India Cricket Team Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma