The batter hailed Rohit as "one of the best ODI captains".
Former Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB) batter and South Africa legend AB de Villiers heaped praise on Indian captain Rohit Sharma after a successful campaign in the recently concluded Champions Trophy in Dubai. He supported Rohit’s call to not retire after leading India to their third Champions Trophy win.
“Compared to other captains, look at Rohit’s win percentage, it’s almost 74%, which is substantially more than any other captain of the past. If he keeps going, he will go down as one of the best ODI captains of all time”, he stated on his YouTube channel.
Previously, skipper Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the T20I format after winning the T20 World Cup last year in Barbados, alongside Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
Following this incident, there was strong speculation about him retiring from the 50-over format after this Champions Trophy, especially if India went on to win the title. However, the skipper and the player of the Champions Trophy 2025 final, ended the rumors by declaring that he is not going to retire anytime soon despite India being crowned champions.
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The ex-South African captain emphasized how the Indian skipper has transformed his natural game and has a lot more to deliver towards the growth of Indian cricket in coming years.
“Rohit has transformed his game in the last couple of years, there is no reason for him to retire from ODIs as his attacking batting in the first 10 overs gives the Indian innings a much-needed impetus. He has got no reason to take any criticism whatsoever. His record speaks for himself. Not only that, but he has also sort of transformed his game. If we have a look at his strike rate in the powerplay it was quite low for an opening batter in the powerplay but since 2022 his strike rate has rose to 115 in the first powerplay and that’s the difference between good and great”, he added.
Furthermore, the star batter praised Rohit for overcoming a rough patch after the Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia. The recent home ODI series against England was also a matter of concern regarding his form heading into the mega ICC event, as he went back to the pavilion with the scores of 2 and 1 in the three-match series, apart from a 119-run knock in Cuttack.
“As an Indian fan, you’ve got to be proud of him. It has not always been plain sailing for him. His form in different formats has been up and down but when it comes to the big moments, the big matches, he leads from the front”, said de Villiers.
The Indian skipper will now feature for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting on March 22. MI will take on their fellow five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the day after.
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