Virat Kohli namedropped as Sir Vivian Richards calls Rohit Sharma a 'different class of player and captain'

West Indies cricket legend Sir Vivian Richards shared his thoughts on Team India captain Rohit Sharma and the evolution of Indian cricket over the years, as they are raring to make it to the knockouts of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

The Indian cricket team under the captaincy of Rohit is unbeaten in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 so far, and now they are gearing up to face Bangladesh in their second Super-8 clash at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Saturday, June 22.

Ahead of the IND vs BAN Super-8 clash in Antigua, Richards heaped praise on Rohit for his exceptional class as both a player and captain. The legendary batter expressed his admiration for Rohit's ability to express himself on the field while highlighting the seamless transition of captaincy from Virat Kohli to the swashbuckling opener.

Sir Vivian Richards impressed by Rohit Sharma's captaincy, as India Gears up for Bangladesh challenge in ICC T20 World Cup 2024

Notably, Rohit had led India to the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023. Further praising the Indian skipper, the West Indian great has noted that Rohit has proven his worth and continues to excel as the most magnificent batter in the world.

He also encouraged fans to watch Indian cricket whenever possible, as it consistently showcases fantastic shots from highly skilled players. However, Rohit is currently struggling with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Sir Vivian Richards spoke to the renowned sports journalist Vimal Kumar and said: “He is a different class of player and captain. Well, I've always liked Rohit. I always like to see individuals who go out and express themselves, and especially when I think it was Virat who was captain before turning over the captaincy to Rohit, I believe he would have served his purpose to be where he is today and continue to be a magnificent batsman. As I said, whenever you see Indian batsmanship on television, you better go and have a look because you're going to see some fantastic shots from highly skilled individuals.”

When asked about which Indian bowler he would have liked to face during his playing days, Richards candidly responded that he would prefer to face the spinners, as he expressed his admiration for their current formidable pace attack.

India now have good quality of fast bowlers: Sir Vivian Richards

One of the most dangerous batters of all time, Richards, also acknowledged that Indian cricket has made remarkable progress over the years, especially in terms of their bowling attack, which has some of the best pacers of this generation.

He noted that earlier India was known as a nation primarily for its spinners, but now they boast talented players in both the fast bowling and spin departments, and they are winning the games for the Men in Blue even when the batters fail to deliver.

Richards signed off by saying, “Maybe not really because, to be fair, only the spinners, because I think your fast-bowlers, I guess, have had wonderful production over the years; they have done magnificently well. People in the past used to believe that Indians were basically spinners, but now you have them all around, good quality all around your team, in my opinion, and Indian cricket looks pretty good.”

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