Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been widely praised for his leadership skills across both, the national team and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, where he led from 2013 until the last year. Among the most successful captains in IPL, Rohit tasted his first success with India earlier this year when the side lifted the T20 World Cup in June. Under Rohit’s captaincy, India came painfully close to lifting two other ICC titles – the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup – both in 2023.
In recent years, numerous cricketers have praised their experiences working under Rohit Sharma, often highlighting the strong camaraderie they share with the 37-year-old Indian captain. Piyush Chawla, the veteran Indian spinner who played under Rohit’s leadership during the 2023 IPL season, has now added his voice, speaking highly of the unwavering commitment the then-Mumbai Indians skipper displayed towards the team.
Chawla had a strong season in 2023, picking 22 wickets in 16 matches and ending as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the season. The spinner recalled a moment during the season when Rohit called Chawla to his room at 2:30 in the night to discuss a strategy against Delhi Capitals’ opener, David Warner.
“I’ve played so much cricket with him that we’ve reached a comfort level. We sit off-the-field as well. Once, at 2:30 in the night, he texted me and asked, “you up?” He drew a field on paper and discussed with me about potentially dismissing Warner. Even at that time, he was thinking about how he could get the best out of me,”Mumbai Indians qualified for the playoffs in the 2023 season, but lost to Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier match in Ahmedabad. Chennai Super Kings went on to win the season. Hardik Pandya eventually succeeded Rohit as MI’s skipper later in the year.
A ‘leader’
Chawla further emphasised that Rohit Sharma is more of a “leader” than a captain, citing the examples from the previous year’s ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup this year.
“There’s a captain, then there’s a leader. He isn’t a captain, he is a leader. Whether it was 2023 ODI WC, or the 2024 T20 WC, the way he batted, he sets the tone in such a way that he made it easy for next batters. He’s a true leader. He gives you a free hand,” said Chawla.
