Pragyan Ojha Reveals The Role Of Adam Gilchrist In Rohit Sharma's Elevation To Captaincy

Former Indian cricketer has opened up on how the then captain of Deccan Chargers, Adam Gilchrist, elevated Rohit Sharma to vice-captaincy, thereby changing people’s perspective of the right-handed opener.

Rohit was officially appointed as the T20I skipper last month. He was handed over the reins in the ODI format on Wednesday, taking over from Virat Kohli. The move was made with an eye on letting Rohit build a steady squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Following the appointment as the captain, Ojha spoke about the first person who saw leadership qualities in Rohit. “When Rohit first came into the Mumbai side, he was never projected as a leader. Slowly things started to change when he was put in the core group of the Deccan Chargers. Adam Gilchrist wanted Rohit to be the vice-captain,” Ojha stated.

“People’s perspective about Rohit started to change” – Pragyan Ojha

In the three seasons that Rohit played for Deccan Chargers, he was seen as a very capable batsman. However, once he was seen in a leadership capacity, people started to believe he can be more than just a good batsman in the future.

“It had just maybe been two years that he had started playing international cricket but when he used to give feedback about certain players or give a certain game plan then the team management started to see the leadership qualities in him.”

“Discussions had started within the Deccan Chargers team that if anyone was going to replace Gilchrist, it can be Rohit. People’s perspective about Rohit started to change from then that he is not only a capable batter but also can be a captain in future,” Ojha added.

Rohit’s first assignment as the T20I captain was a success as he led the Indian team to a 3-0 clean sweep over the visiting New Zealand side.

Also Read – India Squad For South Africa Tests Announced, Rohit Sharma Named Captain Of The ODI Side