‘Keeping things extremely simple and focus on role clarity’ - Rohit Sharma reveals his mantra for captaincy
![Rohit Sharma?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4](https://cricxtasy.com/static/c1e/client/95405/uploaded/73c73000661094f8ca08982bc6114604.png)
With five IPL titles as captain for the Mumbai Indians - the most for anyone in the tournament’s history - and a fine record as India skipper across formats, Rohit Sharma has been widely hailed for his tactical nous and the ability to back his players in the cricketing world.
Rohit took over as India’s full-time T20I captain following Virat Kohli’s resignation from the role after the T20 World Cup 2021 last year, and was named the ODI skipper before the South Africa tour later, which he missed with injury. With Kohli stepping down from the role in the Test format too, Rohit was named the all-format captain at the start of the year.
A key aspect to Rohit’s leadership is backing his players even when they go through challenging times, and maintaining his composure and calm in intense game situations, which aid a clear decision-making.
India's Asia Cup first-choice XI is likely to have KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the top three.
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) August 10, 2022
Whether we will see Rahul & Kohli embrace this new approach is something to watch out for 👀#CricketTwitter #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/A9cDzna3yT
Reflecting on his style of captaincy, the 35-year-old emphasised the value of keeping things simple, and helping players with role clarity to avoid confusion at the biggest level.
“What I’ve done over the years with the Mumbai Indians franchise and also the time I’ve led India, it’s just keeping it very, very simple, not complicating things too much and making sure that the players understand what their role is,” he said in an interview for Follow the Blues on Star Sports. “That is what I expect from myself, that is something I want to do for the team, for the players: to make sure that there is no confusion - that’s the last thing you want when you play in a high-profile tournament.
“So we want to make sure that all of that is taken care of, and that is where my role becomes very crucial along with Rahul bhai. Both of us will try to keep focus on that, but for me, it’s just about trying to keep things extremely simple.”
India, in absence of a number of their senior players including Rohit, are currently playing a three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe, which they lead 1-0 after a dominant 10-wicket win on Thursday, August 18.
Their next assignment is the Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE, wherein they begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on August 28.
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