Rohit Sharma Has The Feel For The Game Required For A Captain- Ajit Agarkar

Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar feels that newly-appointed white-ball captain Rohit Sharma has what it takes to be a great captain for India and his style will also be more laidback compared to that of Virat Kohli.

Rohit has proven himself as an excellent white-ball captain, both for Mumbai Indians and India. He has led MI to four IPL trophies, joint-highest with MS Dhoni, who has achieved the same with Chennai Super Kings.

“Whatever we have seen of him, he will definitely be slightly laidback than Virat Kohli. But we have seen his leadership qualities, not just in franchise cricket. He has reached a stage of his career where he is extremely experienced, played a lot of matches in international cricket, so he has the experience of that.”

“Generally, there is a feel for the game required for a captain, it seems he has that. The responsibility will be different now because when you are a stand-in captain, you are there for a series or few matches but here you have to prepare a team for the next World Cup – whether it is T20 or 50-over,” Agarkar told on the Star Sports show, Game Plan.

“We have seen of late that he has got a few injuries” – Ajit Agarkar highlights Rohit’s biggest challenge

Similar to Kohli and MS Dhoni who redefined fitness in Indian cricket, Rohit will have to be at his peak fitness if he is to lead the team in ODIs and T20Is on a consistent basis. With two World Cups on the way, his presence both as a captain and opener is of paramount importance.

“I believe his [Rohit’s] biggest challenge will be to remain fit. We have seen of late that he has got a few injuries. The captains who were there before him – Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni – their strength was that both were extremely fit and they missed matches very few times in their careers.”

“So that will be a challenge because when you play all the games, it will be easier for you to build the team. You will be able to see closely how each player reacts in a given situation. So that will be the key for him because he has the leadership qualities and we have seen that as well,” Agarkar added.

Rohit’s leadership skills will be tested when West Indies visits India for a white-ball series this month.

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